Turkey Deputy PM Says Will Abandon Active Politics after Dorms Row

W460

Turkey's deputy prime minister on Friday announced plans to withdraw from active politics after disagreement with leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan over mixed-sex student dorms.

"I want to withdraw from active political life. If Mr Prime Minister allows me and respects my decision, I will not be a candidate for any (government) post," Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told TRT-Turk television.

The announcement comes after contradictory comments made by Erdogan and his deputy over letting boys and girls share student houses.

The debate erupted after Erdogan first floated an idea to do away with mixed-sex dorms in state-owned student houses at a closed-door meeting with lawmakers from his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) at the weekend.

"Female and male students cannot live in the same house," he was quoted as saying by the local media. "That is contrary to our structure, which is conservative-democratic."

Arinc then said on Monday that the government had no intention of "carrying out checks" on students' living arrangements.

Erdogan however stood behind his remarks, sparking fresh criticism that he is seeking to Islamize Turkey's mainly Muslim but deeply secular society with increasingly conservative policies.

Pointing at an "apparent contradiction" between the two leaders, Arinc said on Friday: "I'm not responsible for this contradiction. He (Erdogan) is expected to give an explanation over this contradiction."

"I'm not only a minister who holds a seat. I am a person who represents the party's views, its past and today," Arinc said.

Critics say that Erdogan's 11-year-long rule has left Turkish society more polarized than ever, with opponents of the AKP government openly voicing concerns that Turkey is sliding toward conservative Islam.

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