NEW FACES, NEW NAMES IN ERDOðAN’S CABINET
Duygu Gven
Turkish Daily News , Turkey
July 24 2007
In the light of the election results, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan will make crucial decisions for Turkey, beginning by choosing
those around him.
Mehmet Þimþek, Zafer Caðlayan, Edibe Sozen, Ertuðrul Gunay, Dengi Mir
Fýrat and Zafer Uskul are expected to take seats in the new cabinet
of the AKP, while Bulent Arýnc, Hilmi Guler and Mehmet Aydýn might
lose their seats.
Erdoðan had previously announced that Abdullah Gul was his favored
candidate for the next presidency, but the prime minister is now
leaving the door open for other alternatives as well. In fact, he
opted not to respond to related chants by party supporters while he
was making his victory speech after the elections on Sunday night.
"There is still a possibility for Ertuðrul Gunay or Vecdi Gonul.
Erdoðan will search a consensus with the MHP this time, and the
MHP would prefer Gul to others," said a leading party member to the
Turkish Daily News yesterday.
Erdoðan is expected to insist on electing the next president from the
Parliament. Although the CHP is positive, the AKP members prefer not
to mention Abdullatif Þener’s name for the presidential seat.
Arýnc will lose his seat Parliament Speaker Bulent Arýnc is expected to
lose his seat in the new Parliament since he is blamed by AKP members
for tightening relations with the military and with secular groups.
In a parliament where Turkish nationalists will sit next to Kurdish
nationalists, Erdoðan is expected to avoid increasing tension in any
way. Murat Baþeskioðlu, Vecdi Gonul, and Ertuðrul Gunay are among
the names mentioned as Arýnc’s replacements.
Sharp change in the new cabinet
Erdoðan is expected to preserve three deputy prime ministers in the
new cabinet. Among the names for deputy prime minister, Mehmet Ali
Þahin is expected to preserve his seat, while the formerly leftist,
newly rightist Ertuðrul Gunay might replace Abdullatif Þener as deputy
prime minister.
Former Justice Minister Cemil Cicek might take a deputy prime minister
seat in the 60th cabinet. Minister of Transportation Binali Yýldýrým
is seen as successful by Erdoðan and is expected to be rewarded,
while Energy Minister Hilmi Guler is thought to lose his seat in the
new cabinet. Taner Yýldýz and Veysel Eroðlu are among the candidates
for his post. Since Ali Coþkun, minister of industry, is out of the
Parliament now; Zafer Caðlayan, formerly with the Ankara Chamber of
Industry, is expected to take Coþkun’s seat. State Minister Mehmet
Aydýn is expected to leave the cabinet because he dreams to write a
book as an academician, and the word is that Beþir Atalay might replace
him. Atalay’s name has been mentioned for the Ministry of Education,
as has the former DYP, newly AKP member, Mehmet Saðlam. Saðlam was
president of the High Education Board (YOK) and was the Education
Minister in the coalition government.
Two women in the cabinet
While Nimet Cubukcu, minister responsible for women and family issues,
is expected to continue her task, and a second woman minister is
likely. Edibe Sozen is expected to replace Beþir Atalay in the
cabinet shift, possibly taking the responsibility of culture and
tourism.Constitutional Professor Zafer Uskul might replace Cemil Cicek
as a new face of the AKP. If Abdullah Gul is elected as president,
Ali Babacan would replace him as the next foreign minister. Mehmet
Þimþek, a well-known economist, is expected to take a seat if
Babacan has a new post. Þimþek is seen as a shining star of the new
AKP. State Minister Kurþat Tuzmen and Finance Minister Kemal Unakýtan
are expected to keep their seats despite the claims of opposition
groups. If Vecdi Gonul holds the presidential seat or becomes the
next Speaker of Parliament, Vahit Erdem or Egemen Baðýþ might take
his seat. Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu was blamed especially
after the assassination of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink,
and he was expected to leave the cabinet. However, since his former
leader Mesut Yýlmaz is in the Parliament, Erdoðan might his seat,
said the AKP members. Murat Baþeskioðlu, minister of labor and social
security might have a new seat as interior minister if he is not made
deputy prime minister or Speaker of Parliament. Mehdi Eker who was
responsible for agriculture might be replaced with Dengi Mir Fýrat,
deputy leader of the AKP. The minister of public works and settlements,
minister of health, and minister of environment and forestry might lose
their seats if Erdoðan opts for a sharp change in the cabinet. Faruk
Celik and Salih Kapusuz the deputy leaders are eager to have a minister
seat in the second term of the AKP.
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