Davutoğlu Had Earlier Warned of Creeping Authoritarianism, Saying the Problem Was Systemic Rather Than Personal

Former Turkish Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç has criticized Ahmet Davutoğlu's decision to dissolve his Future Party, saying the former prime minister should never have founded it in the first place. In a social media post on August 2, Arınç said he had "ethically" opposed Davutoğlu's breakaway from the ruling AK Party, urging him to have stayed within the party and voiced his criticisms from inside. Davutoğlu announced on July 30 that he was withdrawing from party politics, citing a "polluted political climate" and the need for "moral distance.

The move came after failed merger talks with the Felicity and New Welfare parties. The party's dissolution congress is set for August 22. Arınç, who praised Davutoğlu as one of two "hocas" in their political tradition after the late Necmettin Erbakan, said he personally found the decision appropriate. Davutoğlu had earlier warned of creeping authoritarianism, saying the problem was systemic rather than personal."