Turkish PM reiterates: CHP, HDP collaborators of Assad’s cruelty

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has accused two opposition parties of remaining indifferent to the cruelty in neighboring Syria, in a speech peppered with personal anecdotes and passages from Islamic history.

Particularly aiming at main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu after the latter suggested that Davutoğlu had become a "puppet" prime minister because his constitutional authority is constantly being overridden by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Davutoğlu said Kılıçdaroğlu had not displayed the high caliber of leadership required for the main opposition leader of a country.

Delivering a speech at an expanded meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) provincial chairs on Oct. 24, the prime minister recalled “claims” suggesting that “Seats are vacant in Turkey.” Without giving a name, Davutoğlu appeared to be referring to the CHP leader, who earlier in the same day said the prime ministry seat was vacant and implied that Davutoğlu was not able to execute his authority.

“In Turkey, the main opposition party’s seat is vacant. We are looking for a main opposition party. We are looking for a leader of high caliber who can challenge us,” Davutoğlu said.

Both the CHP and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have remained silent to the cruelty in both Iraq and Syria, he also argued.

“We will call the victim a victim and the cruel, cruel, even if the entire world is against us. We will continue standing by victims. The CHP is standing by [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad. The CHP and the HDP remained silent in the face of photographs coming from Syria. The barbaric al-Assad killed thousands of people with gas, exactly the same as...