Turkish Interior Minister Resigns amid Criticism over Impromptu Lockdowns

Turkey’s interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, resigned late Sunday night amid widespread criticism of what many perceive as the government’s rushed and uncoordinated decision to lock down cities throughout the country. “Responsibility for implementing the weekend curfew, which was aimed at preventing the [coronavirus] epidemic, belongs entirely to me,” he wrote in a tweet. Soylu is considered a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; as such, some are construing his resignation as an effort to insulate the boss. The two-day closure of 31 Turkish cities was announced only hours before it took effect on Friday night, prompting masses of people to take to the streets to stock up on goods. Videos of large crowds packed together in small spaces have gone viral, leading to accusations that the measure was ill-advised – and certainly poorly executed – and may have done more to spread the contagion than curb it. Turkey has reported some 57,000 cases of COVID-19, the second-highest in the Middle East after Iran.