Key members of Turkey’s economic management team kept their posts in a new Cabinet announced yesterday, reassuring nervous financial markets, but about half of the government was reshuffled as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightens his grip.
Sources in Erdogan’s office said he would chair the first meeting of the new Cabinet in his palace today.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, an anchor of investor confidence, was again named as one of five deputy prime ministers, although it was not immediately clear whether he would retain overall responsibility for the economy.
Turkish Minister of Finance Naci Agbal also kept his position under new Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
“Logic prevails — why would Erdogan not keep Simsek, so as to keep markets and investors on side for the time being,” Nomura Securities strategist Timothy Ash said in an e-mailed note, but added a note of caution: “This is not to say that Simsek will have that much leverage to deliver on his structural reform plan. The power is moving to Erdogan and his less orthodox policy advisers.”
Nihat Zeybekci, a close Erdogan ally, returned as minister of the economy, a post he had held until November last year.
Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak kept his position as minister of energy and natural resources after suggestions he could have been promoted to an even more senior job.
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu also remained in post, but former Turkish minister of culture and tourism Omer Celik became the new minister of EU affairs, replacing Volkan Bozkir, one of the brokers of a controversial deal with the EU to curb the flow of refugees to Europe.
Turkish Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Fikri Isik replaced Ismet Yilmaz as minister of defense, but there was no place in the Cabinet for powerful Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan.
Erdogan on Sunday confirmed Yildirim, a close ally for two decades and a cofounder of the Justice and Development Party, as his new prime minister, ensuring government loyalty as he pursues constitutional change to replace Turkey’s parliamentary democracy with an executive presidency.
Yildirim replaced Ahmet Davutoglu, who stepped down after a power struggle with the president over Erdogan’s overhaul of the constitution to give the largely ceremonial presidency executive powers.
Many fear the presidential system that Erdogan seeks would concentrate too many powers in the hands of the Turkish strongman, who has adopted an increasingly authoritarian style of governing and has cracked down on media and government critics.
Domestically, the political reshuffling takes place as Turkey faces serious security threats, including increased attacks by Kurdish and Islamic State militants.
It also comes at a time when parliament is in disarray after a government-backed constitutional amendment has left 138 lawmakers vulnerable to prosecution.
In his first speech in parliament after announcing the new Cabinet, Yildirim said that Erdogan was carrying out his political responsibilities as head of state, rejecting suggestions that he was meddling in government affairs.
Yildirim said the country’s current constitution was far from meeting its needs and that work would begin immediately on a new text.
He said the constitution needed to reflect the fact that the head of state was now popularly elected.
Erdogan wants Turkey to introduce a full presidential system, something Yildirim has vowed to support.
Additional reporting by AFP and AP
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