Niyazi Dalyanci
The cabinet reshuffle that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalled just after the local elections in March was announced over the weekend with the introduction of nine new names. Erdogan’s chief foreign policy adviser Prof. Ahmet Davutoglu was appointed as Turkey’s foreign minister. Although, bureaucrats from outside the parliament have served as foreign ministers in Turkey after the three military takeovers in recent history, Davutoglu is the first non-parliamentarian to be named to the key post under a civilian rule.
Bulent Arinc, former speaker of the National Assembly after the 2002 elections that brought Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power, got the important cabinet post as a deputy prime minister. Arinc who makes himself frequently mentioned by the media because of his controversial comments about the military, will now be sitting with the nation’s top generals in the meetings of the National Security Council. Most recently, Arinc drew the reaction of the General Staff Headquarters when he said, “I thank Allah that we did not go to war when these generals were still serving,” referring to the top military brass who are now under arrest for planning a military coup and face trial at the Ergenekon case.
Eight ministers, including Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, Nationbal Education Minister Huseyin Celik, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler lost their jobs in the cabinet reshuffle.
Nimet Cubukcu, the only woman in the outgoing cabinet was moved to the head of National Education while Erdogan named Selma Aliye Kavaf, as a state minister, bringing the number of women in his cabinet to two.
Ali Babacan, the former foreign minister replaced Nazim Ekren as the chief coordinator of national economy while Mehmet Simsek, who came over from London where he was working as a broker to join Erdogan’s cabinet was named Finance Minister replacing Unakitan who earlier this year had an heart operation in Cleveland, U.S.
Another controversial name, Omer Dincer was appointed as Labor and Social Security Minister. Dincer who had been a close associated of Erdogan has been accused of plagiarizing in order to get his academic title and he is known with his conservative views frequently drawing the wrath of staunchly Kemalist old guard.
Erdogan speaking at the general assembly of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Exchanges after he announced the cabinet reshuffle, said, “Nobody is indispensable. Everybody must read the message delivered by the nation during the elections. Demands for change should reflect on our policies.”
