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Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak has announced that he has resigned from his post due to health problems.
Albayrak, who is also the son-in-law of President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been under heavy criticism lately over the US dollar's sharp rise against the Turkish lira.
Posting a statement on his Instagram account at around 7.05 p.m. local time (4.05 p.m. GMT), Albayrak said that he would spend time more with his family after "neglecting" them for years because of his duties.
His Twitter account was also deleted at around the same time.
Erdoğan on Friday (November 6) replaced Central Bank Governor Murat Uysal with the Presidency's Strategy and Budget Director Naci Ağbal, who also served as the Minister of Treasury between November 2015 and July 2018.
As no official sources have confirmed or denied Albayrak's resignation and no major media outlets have reported his statement, rumors have spread on Twitter that his social media accounts have been hacked.
Albayrak served as the Minister of Energy between November 2015 and July and 2018 and was then appointed as the Minister of Treasury and Finance.
"The plants we have sown in economy, just as we did in energy, will turn into great planes and inshallah, we will witness that they will make our country reach the goal of full independence. I have no doubt about that," he said in the statement.
"Thank God for granting me the privilege of serving my country and the ummah [all Muslims around the world] in this five year period, which can be considered one of the most critical periods in Turkey's history," he added.
Reactions from journalists and politicians
As no official statement has been made on Albayrak's Instagram statement, journalists and politicians have discussed on Twitter whether the resignation is real and the President will accept it.
Journalist Çiğdem toker wrote, "The same questions are in everyone's minds. Has his account been hacked? Would one resign on Instagram? If the news is true, what is the real reason or reasons? How many times have we seen that a resignation can't be made unilaterally in this regime?"
Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu also announced his resignation in April but continued his duty after it was rejected by the President.
About the rumors of hacking, journalist Murat Ağırel said Albayrak resigned at the request of Erdoğan and his accounts were not hacked, citing "a reliable source."
Journalist Banu Güven said, "This is the first time that I see a resignation on Instagram. I checked what Berat Albayrak wrote on Twitter, I couldn't see his account. Of course, there might have been health problems in this period. The main purpose, presumably, is to prevent the dollar from spiking tomorrow, at least to some extent. But it seems to be too late."
Deputy Minister of Transport Ömer Fatih Sayan said he hoped the President wouldn't accept Albayrak's resignation.
Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı, a pro-government columnist, also called on Erdoğan to reject the resignation of Albayrak, who he said "revolutionized" Turkey's economy.
The representative of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey, Erol Önderoğlu, said that the media's lack of will to announce the resignation of the President's son-in-law was a shame in terms of the obligation to inform the citizens and betrayal of the profession.
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