Turkey's New Cabinet Unlikely to Spell Major Policy Shift
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Turkey's new Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, will announce his cabinet on Friday, a day after Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in as president, with the new government not expected to signal any major changes in policy direction.
Davutoglu was scheduled to arrive at the presidential palace to present the list to Erdogan at 11:30 am (0830 GMT). He will hold a news conference an hour later to announce the names, his office said on its website.
The current economic team, including Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, is expected to remain largely intact. EU minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is seen as leading contender for foreign minister.
Erdogan aide Yalcin Akdogan was also expected to take up a position in cabinet, possibly as a deputy prime minister, Reuters reported.
Erdogan, who had been prime minister since 2003, was sworn in as president on Thursday, cementing his position as Turkey's most powerful leader of recent times, in a step opponents fear heralds more authoritarian rule.
"The doors of Great Turkey have been opened," the main headline in the newspaper Sabah said on Friday, praising the transfer of power along with other pro-government newspapers.
But Sozcu a newspaper fiercely critical of Erdogan, declared "He made an oath he won't keep," referring to his pledge in parliament to remain bound to the secular principles of the modern republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Erdogan's opponents warn that his roots in Islamist politics mean his move to the presidency will bring widening religious influence in public life.
Victory in Turkey's first popular presidential election this month gave a him a fresh mandate to push on with what he sees as a historic mission to transform Turkey domestically and as a regional power.
