The government of key U.S. ally Turkey began to crack this week . There are rumblings that an Islamic cleric living in the United States may have something to do it . But prosecutors in Istanbul have said corruption is the culprit . Three Cabinet ministers resigned their posts Wednesday , days after their sons were arrested or temporarily detained in an anti-graft sting , semiofficial news agency Anadolu reported . One of them -- Urbanization and Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar -- went further than the other two , not just resigning his Cabinet position but also calling on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down . On live television in Turkey , Bayraktar said Erdogan asked him to resign and make a statement that would ease pressure on Erdogan . Upset at this , Bayraktar declined to make the statement but stepped down from his Parliament seat as well as his Cabinet post , and called on Erdogan to resign `` to make the people more comfortable . '' `` They sent us two papers today -- one for our resignation , the other a statement . Of course I want to make it easier for my party . However , I find this wrong , '' said Bayraktar , whose son was briefly detained in the roundup but later released . Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler , whose sons were also arrested in the probe , also resigned Wednesday . Erdogan accepted the resignations , Anadolu reported . The sons were detained in a roundup that included the head of a public bank , several bureaucrats and high-profile businessmen . It came after a two-year probe by the Istanbul Prosecutor 's Office into allegations of corruption including money laundering , gold smuggling and bribery . Also , local media outlets reported that former interior minister Idris Naim Sahin resigned from Erdogan 's ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP . Sahin , who served as interior minister before Guler , will retain his seat in Parliament . The sweep comes in the runup to local elections in Turkey . Erdogan had been expected to reorganize his Cabinet , because some of his ministers will be running for office in March . Late Wednesday , he announced a Cabinet reshuffle , naming 10 new people . `` I had mentioned previously that there was the possibility of change by the end of the month . Some ( ministers ) asked to be removed . Some left their positions . Some are my decisions , which I submitted to the President and he has approved , '' Erdogan said . Efkan Ala was tapped as interior minister , Idris Gulluce as urbanization and environment minister , and Nihat Zeybekci was announced as the nation 's new economy minister . Turkey bans journalists from police stations . Political rivalry . One of Erdogan 's old allies , now a rival , could be having an influence on the crackdown , which Erdogan has called a `` dirty , dirty operation '' aimed at toppling his government . Erdogan appears to be in an open power struggle with former political backer Fethullah Gulen . Gulen is an Islamic cleric living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania , and his supporters are thought to be in key positions within the police force and the judiciary . Top government officials accused Gulen recently of trying to establish a `` parallel state '' within the Turkish government . The Hizmet Movement , the name preferred by Gulen 's followers , has in the past thrown its support behind the Erdogan-led AKP . But the two have been publicly at odds over the last month . `` It was a forced marriage and now it 's an ugly divorce , '' said Ahmet Sik , a journalist who wrote a book on Gulen and his influence within the judiciary and the police force . Retaliation ? In the wake of the arrests , Guler , who as interior minister controls the police force , dismissed scores of senior police officers . The government justified the purge by accusing them of carrying out the corruption arrests outside the chain of command . Journalists were hindered from covering the mass firings . Journalists accredited with the Turkish police were ordered to hand in their credentials as well as keys to the media briefing rooms in some police stations . `` If there are any developments or press statements press members will be invited , '' read a statement from the police . Reporters who had long worked the police beat said the ban was unprecedented . According to press reports , Guler had no prior knowledge of the corruption probe that led to the detention of his son and the sons of the other ministers . He has denied any wrongdoing . Erdogan has repeatedly claimed , since the corruption arrests began on Tuesday , that international organizations with branches inside Turkey are trying to destabilize the country . `` This country has never been and never will be the operational space of international organizations . We will not allow the interest lobby , the war lobby , the blood lobby to carry out an operation under the guise of a corruption operation , '' he said during a speech on Sunday .
Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces a Cabinet reshuffle . Three ministers resign after their sons were detained in recent days . Prime minister blames the instability in his government on political rivals . But prosecutors in Istanbul have said corruption is the problem .