Two ministers should be removed for role in Ankara blast, CHP leader tells Davutoğlu

ANKARA

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Republican People’s Party (CHP) head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said he told Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu that the interior minister and justice minister must either resign or be removed from office due to their role in the Ankara attack, speaking in a press conference in Ankara late on Oct. 11.

“This incident is under the government’s responsibility. Three ministers held a meeting after the incident. The interior minister admitted that security measures were taken in Kızılay Square, not in the area [where people were marching to Kızılay]. I told the prime minister that the interior minister must resign immediately. Who has political responsibility in this incident? If the minister does not resign, he must be discharged from his office,” Kılıçdaroğlu told a press meeting on Oct. 11.

Earlier on Oct. 10, Interior Minister Selami Altınok strictly ruled out any responsibility, saying he was not considering resigning. 

“Society is in a deep trauma, but the justice minister is smiling. This is unacceptable. He must resign as well. If they respect the people who died and their families they must resign,” Kılıçdaroğlu also said, referring to Minister Kenan Ipek, who was recorded smirking during a press conference after a Reuters reporter asked if he was considering resigning from his post.

Prime Minister Davutoğlu said on Oct. 10 that he wanted to consult the CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on the issue, but ruled out any contacts with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) after the Kurdish-issue focused party’s co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş slammed the government over the attack. 

Referring to Davutoğlu’s decision, Kılıçdaroğlu said Demirtaş should not be excluded from these meetings. 

“I told the prime minister that it is not right to exclude HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş. A prime minister has to be equal to all political parties in democracies and this is necessary for the atmosphere of peace,” he added. 

“I also told the prime minister that a perception that politics cannot bring solutions is becoming widespread in the country,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahçeli ruled out any meeting with the prime minister over the incident, pointing the finger at Turkey’s foreign policy while commenting on the bomb attack in Ankara.
Kılıçdaroğlu also said he told Davutoğlu that Turkey’s current foreign policy is “wrong.”

On Oct. 10, the CHP said in a written statement that all political figures who were negligent over the Oct. 10 attack should resign.

“We demand an investigation into the reasons for such a big weakness in the security and intelligence bodies,” read the statement.

”We want all political figures with responsibility who have negligence in this incident to resign, even though it is already too late,” it added.

HDP co-chair Demirtaş harshly criticized both the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for insufficient investigations into similar recent attacks. Speaking at the Sıhhıye area where the incident took place, Demirtaş called on people to be calm and express their voice in the upcoming Nov. 1 snap election.