Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to step aside following rift with Erdogan

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is to step down amid a rift with the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who plans to alter the constitution to expand his power.

Davutoglu announced today (5 May) that he will quit at a special congress of the ruling AKP party on 22 May. He is believed to have disapproved of Erdogan's plans to move Turkey to a presidential style of government.

In a speech Davutoglu said that he remained loyal to President Erdogan, and bore no anger towards anyone.

Earlier the two held crisis talks at the presidential palace, but failed to resolve their differences.

The leadership change comes as Turkey faces increasing security concerns, with recent terror attacks from Kurdish extremists as well as the Islamic State targeting Ankara and Istanbul, and millions of refugees entering the country from neighbour Syria, where a brutal civil war is raging.

Davutoglu became prime minister in 2014, when Erdogan moved from the premiership to the presidency. He was expected to play a compliant role, but has clashed with Erdogan on issues including finance and plans to alter the constitution to strengthen the power of the presidency.

Davutoglu said that he would continue in his role as an AKP MP, and would not act as a divisive presence in the party.

"I feel no reproach, anger or resentment against anyone," he said.

"No one heard, or will ever hear, a single word from my mouth, from my tongue or my mind against our president."

In a sign of the increasing differences between Erdogan and Davutoglu, the prime minister was recently stripped of his power to appoint regional party officials.

Among those tipped to succeed are Transport Minister Binali, a close Erdogan ally, and Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, the president's son in law.