A YouTube clip showing the leader of Turkey’s opposition party, Deniz Baykal, in a compromising position with another member of his Republican’s People’s Party (CHP), has forced his resignation. Subsequently, the CHP leadership released details of a plot to murder Mr Baykal in Brussels.
In response, some members of his party are doing all in their power, including going on hunger strike, to try to persuade him to withdraw his resignation. Other members, though, are suggesting that the stepping down of 73-year-old Mr Baykal, after 19 years in the top job, could re-energise the party.
The CHP is resisting a proposed referendum by the ruling AK Party designed to break the control of the judiciary exercised by the Turkish Army. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says the move against the secular state is necessary to secure entry into the European Union.
Last week, there were accusations in the capital Ankara that the AK Party is trying to undermine the opposition as the country creeps towards a crucial decision about the character and future of the Turkish state.
