Opposition parties on Albayrak's departure: 'You can't save the king by sacrificing the queen'

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Speaking at their parliamentary group meetings yesterday (November 10), main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Mithat Sancar reflected on Berat Albayrak's resignation as the minister of treasury and finance.

Both Kılıçdaroğlu and Sancar said President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is who is really responsible for the country's economic problems, with the latter calling for a snap election.

Albayrak, who is also the son-in-law of the President, announced his resignation in an Instagram post late Sunday (November 8). After a silence of more than 24 hours, the Presidency's Communications Directorate stated that Erdoğan accepted the resignation.

Most major media outlets also didn't report the events until the Presidency confirmed Albayrak's resignation.

"This is what happens when you attempt to rule the country like an incorporated company," said Kılıçdaroğlu, criticizing the lack of media coverage.

"The father-in-law and the son-in-law rule the country together. A fight broke out between them and no one can say anything because of fear," he remarked.

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"Who is really responsible is the person who heads this business. You can't avoid this by sacrificing the son-in-law. As I said before, you can't save the king by surrendering the queen," Kılıçdaroğlu said, referring to the President.

The HDP's Sancar also criticized the pro-government media, saying that "What is interesting about this is that the government media, which is called 'the mainstream media,' did not cover this at all ... They probably waited for a sign, an instruction. This instruction didn't come."

"This system is collapsing, my friends. We all know that there is an economic crisis and nobody is in a position to hide it. We also know that this crisis is not just a matter of a minister or a person," he remarked.

"Since this system is collapsing, it is not possible for them to save themselves by laying the burden on a single person. Who is really responsible for this is at the top of the system," he added.

"For this reason, we say that the resignation of the minister of treasury and finance is not enough. The President should resign with his cabinet." (AS/VK)