Turkey’s tough minister is useful but unlikely to rise
Monday, September 9, 2019
Subject
A profile of Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
Significance
The removal from office of the Kurdish mayors of south-eastern Turkey’s three largest cities -- Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin -- early on August 19 underscored the importance of Turkey’s hard-line interior minister, Suleyman Soylu. He has been the driving force behind a series of unprecedented crackdowns on several political fronts since he became interior minister at the end of August 2016, six weeks after the abortive military coup.
Impacts
- Soylu's relative isolation in the party could become an electoral liability for the AKP.
- He will continue taking advantage of publicity via the largely pro-government media.
- His dismissive attitude towards the EU and scant regard for human rights will be another obstacle in Turkey’s EU relations.
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