Turkey's AKP 'Pushes Away' Journalists To Stop Leaks

One of the first policy decisions of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) after the June 7 general election has been "pushing away" journalists to prevent leaks as coalition talks linger.

Sources told daily Hürriyet that Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was infuriated over the remarks of some ministers who spoke to the media after a party meeting on June 8. As a response, the party administration instructed ministers to not answer journalists' questions as they left internal meetings.

On the morning of June 11, cameramen, who were routinely placed at the entrance of the AKP's headquarters in Ankara, were sent by officials farther away to parking spots on a sidewalk across the road.

The AKP is continuing talks with other parties on forming a coalition, after it unexpectedly lost its parliamentary majority in the June 7 polls. - Ankara