The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Ankara / AFP
Turkey’s incoming Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday unveiled his new cabinet line-up two days after being given a mandate by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with most key ministers keeping their jobs but the EU minister switched.
The new cabinet is packed with Erdogan loyalists following the resignation of outgoing premier Ahmet Davutoglu, but contained fewer radical changes than some had
predicted.
Key names in the former cabinet remained in place, including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, and Interior Minister Efkan Ala as well as deputy prime minister in charge of economy Mehmet Simsek, in a relief to markets.
Following earlier losses, the Turkish lira rallied sharply on the announcement, gaining 0.6 percent against the US dollar on the day. In the biggest change, ruling party spokesman Omer Celik will be new EU affairs minister, replacing Volkan Bozkir, one of the brokers of a controversial deal with the European Union to curb the flow of migrants to Europe.
Fikri Isik also replaces Ismet Yilmaz as defence minister and there was no place in the cabinet for powerful deputy prime minister Yalcin Akdogan.
Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak keeps his job as energy minister, after suggestions he could have been promoted to an even more senior job.
It was not immediately clear when the cabinet—which must pass a vote of confidence in parliament—would be sworn in, although it was expected to convene for the first time on Wednesday in the symbolic location of Erdogan’s palace, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
Yildirim, seen a close ally of Erdogan, was on Sunday elected by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) as its chairman, replacing Davutoglu, who stepped down after a power struggle with the president.