Yildirim’s appointment as party chairman and prime minister at the weekend has consolidated Erdogan’s dominating influence over Turkish politics, with Yildirim, who is considered to be unfailingly loyal to the president, already having stated that he favours moves towards a presidential system of government.
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Mr Yildirim earlier announced his new Cabinet, keeping key members of the economic management team in place.
She underlined that all the names picked up by Yildirim reflected Erdogan’s choices, predicting that failures on foreign policy and suspended Kurdish peace talks will be blamed on the departing ministers.
“Tomorrow, the first meeting of the council of ministers will be held… under my chairmanship”, Erdogan said. More than ten thousand party members listened to the president’s message standing at attention, which continued: “I see this congress as a change of guards, a refreshment of strength and motivation”. “However, these promises have unfortunately been shelved, and this parliament elected by the nation’s will has failed to write a new constitution”, Yildirim said as he presented the program of the 65th Cabinet to parliament Tuesday.
In a statement sent to journalists, the official said that Erdogan and Merkel concurred that the migration deal between Turkey and the European Union was “fruitful” and that the cooperation should continue. Finance Minister Naci Agbal also kept his position.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Interior Minister Efkan Ala and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak retained their posts. Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkçi will continue to perform in the new government with the same portfolio.
Yildirim, 60, formerly minister of transport and communications, asserted his intention to push forward constitutional reforms that would expand the powers of the presidency immediately.
“They will lead to complete harmony between Erdogan and the cabinet …”
Yildirim rejected suggestions that the president, who will chair the new cabinet’s first meeting on Wednesday, was meddling in government affairs in violation of the current constitution.
In the Nationalist Action Party, a right-wing grouping which is the main rival for the AKP in conservative provinces, opposition politicians are unable to hold a conference at which they would nearly certainly unseat their existing leader, Devlet Bahçeli, and so mount a strong electoral challenge to the AKP.
Based on the deal, struck with the EU in March to stem the flow of refugees into Europe, refugees arriving on European soil via the Aegean Sea may be sent back to Turkey. Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya named as new family and social policies minister, while former minister of defense Ismet Yilmaz became minister of education.
“We will increase the number of our friends; we will decrease the number of our enemies”, Yildirim said.
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Describing the conflict in Syria as “meaningless war” that lasted over four years, Yildirim lamented that hundreds of thousands of their religious brothers lost their lives in the war.
