Governor of Hatay resigns to run for parliament

The governor of Hatay, Rahmi Dogan, has resigned from his post to run as the ruling party's candidate for parliament, despite facing criticism for his inadequate response to the recent earthquake disaster in the region.

In a statement on Twitter, Dogan announced his resignation and said he had decided to run for parliament in the upcoming elections.

"With the permission of the elders of our state, I am resigning from my post as governor of Hatay, which I have held for the past five years, in order to run as a candidate for my hometown of Sivas in the upcoming parliamentary elections on May 14," Dogan said.

The decision to step down as governor despite ongoing disaster relief efforts in the region has been criticized by many who believe Dogan should have remained in office to oversee recovery efforts.

“He does not resign out of shame, he resigns to run for parliament,” a socialist newspaper said on Twitter.

The Turkish government is facing increasing criticism over its handling of the devastating earthquakes that killed more than 48,000 people.

Five weeks after the quakes left more than two million people homeless, government officials are under fire for their initial response. Many also say the government should have taken steps to make buildings more earthquake-resistant.

President Tayyip Erdogan has apologized several times for the government's slow response to the disaster, but so far not a single official has resigned from his post.