Minister of Interior 'Humbled' by Reactions to His Resignation

After Erdoğan rejected Soylu's resignation, AKP supporters took to the streets to celebrate. (Source and photo: AA)

Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu has said that he was "humbled" by reactions to his resignation from President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and supporters of the party.

After Erdoğan rejected the resignation, praising him for his work, many supporters of the AKP took to streets for celebration after the Presidency announced that he would continue in his post as the Minister of Interior.

CLICK - Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu Resigns from Office

Late Sunday (April 12), Soylu announced on Twitter that he was stepping down from his post, citing recent incidents ahead of a weekend coronavirus curfew in large cities.

However, Erdoğan turned down Soylu's resignation a few hours later. The Communications Directorate said in a statement that Soylu "submitted his resignation to the President, and our President told him that he did not find the request suitable."

Soylu said on Twitter that "the attitude of Erdoğan and the Turkish nation humbled him.

"The shortcomings in steps taken under the trust of our state and nation have been accepted as human error and we assumed higher responsibility to repair the situation," he said.

He further added that his resignation decision was part of "responsibility" for incidents on Friday night in the narrow window between when the curfew was declared and it went into effect.

CLICK - Ministry Imposes Last-Minute Curfew for Weekend, People Queue Up in Front of Groceries

Soylu also said "he would continue serving the people of Turkey "in his Twitter message.

When the 48-hour curfew in 31 provinces was announced late Friday (April 10), crowds flocked to many shops and bakeries to buy last-minute goods but often flouted social distancing rules meant to stem the spread of the virus.

Turkey reported 97 more deaths from the coronavirus yesterday, bringing the total toll to 1,198. The country also has nearly 57 thousand confirmed cases. (VK)