Turkey to shut Erdogan rival's schools
ISTANBUL - Turkey's parliament has voted to close private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of covertly seeking to topple him.
ISTANBUL - Turkey's parliament has voted to close private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of covertly seeking to topple him.
Lawmakers late on Friday set a deadline of Sept. 1, 2015, to shut the schools, news channels reported. Millions of students prepare at the centers for entrance examinations to win limited spots at state high schools and universities.
Erdogan has accused cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers wield influence in the police and judiciary, of concocting a graft scandal to compromise his government. The scandal broke with police raids on Dec. 17, but ties between the ex-allies have been tense in recent years.
"Pull your kids out, if they go to these schools. State schools are enough," Erdogan told a campaign rally in the western town of Denizli on Saturday ahead of a March 30 election.
"They have sucked like leeches. Leeches are more virtuous: leeches suck dirty blood, while they suck clean blood and hold sessions cursing me, my wife, my children, my administration."
The government moved to shut down the cram centers in November, worsening the public row with Gulen's followers.
The local election next month is seen as a critical test of support for Erdogan after 11 years in power.
Last week, audio recordings purportedly of Erdogan and his son Bilal discussing moving large sums of money and accepting bribes were leaked on the Internet.
Erdogan has said the audio was manipulated, and on Saturday suggested Gulen was behind the "conspiracy."
"Listening to my phone is forbidden. They listened to me, the president, my family," Erdogan said at the rally.
"Now they've been caught. We are going into their lairs. It will take time but we will begin a new era with the votes we win on March 30."
Education is central to the mission of U.S.-based Gulen's Hizmet, or Service, movement. Its respected prep schools help spread influence across a nationwide network, and shutting them will deprive Hizmet of a chief source of financing.
Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, says he has no plans to form a political party and denies any involvement in the graft investigation.
