Turkey’s finance minister and son-in-law to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his resignation on social media late Sunday.
Berat Albayrak said on Instagram that he was stepping down from his post for health reasons and would spend more time with his family. The resignation was confirmed by officials at the Finance Ministry, local broadcaster HaberTurk reported.
However, it was unclear if it would be accepted by Erdogan.
Albayrak, 42, was appointed minister of finance and treasury in July 2018, having previously been energy minister for nearly three years.
His resignation followed the dismissal over the weekend of central bank chief Murat Uysal, who was replaced by former Finance Minister Naci Agbal.
Albayrak, who has four children with Erdogan’s daughter Esra, has presided over a rough period in the Turkish economy.
The country was recovering from a currency crisis in 2018 when the coronavirus hit and Albayrak’s stewardship came under much criticism.
Before entering politics, Albayrak worked for Calik Holding, rising to CEO in 2007.
He became a lawmaker for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in 2015 and was shortly after appointed energy minister.
According to some analysts, he was being groomed by Erdogan to be the president’s eventual successor.
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