AKP drafts timeline to form gov’t in late Nov

Nuray Babacan - ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. AA Photo

The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has returned to power as a single-party government just five months after losing its majority in June, has drafted a timeline for its next steps - taking the upcoming G20 summit in southern Turkey into consideration.

Accordingly, members of new parliament will take their oath on Nov. 17, after the Supreme Election Board (YSK) announces the final official results of the Nov. 1 snap election on Nov. 12. Deputies will be therefore be taking their oaths after Turkey hosts the G20 leaders’ meeting in Antalya on Nov. 15-16.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to commission Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu for forming a new government on Nov. 18. Unlike previously, Erdoğan will not wait for the election of the new parliament speaker, which will take place on Nov. 22. The new cabinet is planned to be formed on Nov. 28. 

According to the constitution, the first session of the new parliament will be held on the fifth day after the announcement of the results by the YSK, thus starting the procedure for forming the new government.

The timeline drafted by the AKP upon consultation with President Erdoğan’s office does not require waiting for the election of the parliament speaker. 

After the June 7 election, Erdoğan commissioned Davutoğlu, whose party had won the largest share of the vote despite falling short of a single-party majority, to form a government only after members of the parliament speaker’s office were elected. Opposition parties had criticized the president for deliberately delaying the process.

As is custom, members of the parliament speaker’s office will be elected in parallel to the procedure for forming the government.

The AKP’s caretaker interim government has apparently chosen not to lose any time, based on Article 114 of the constitution, which says “The provisional Council of Ministers shall remain in office for the duration of the elections and until the new Assembly convenes.”

While the new assembly is electing its speaker on Nov. 22, the AKP will also be working to form various parliamentary commissions. As the preparation of the 2016 Central Governance Budget Law will not be possible within such a short period of time, the AKP will draft a “temporary budget” for the first quarter of 2016 and parliament will begin deliberations over the 2016 Central Governance Budget Law in January, although these deliberations are customarily held in December.

“The program of the Council of Ministers shall be read out by the Prime Minister or by one of the ministers before the Grand National Assembly of Turkey within a week, at the latest, of the formation of the Council of Ministers and a vote of confidence shall be held. Debate on the vote of confidence shall begin after two complete days elapse from the date the program is read out and the vote shall be held after one complete day elapses from the end of debate,” reads Article 110 of the constitution.

Accordingly, the procedure for forming of the new government is expected to be completed on Nov. 28.

Meanwhile, Deniz Baykal, the former leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will again serve as acting parliamentary speaker as the eldest deputy.

Among potential nominees for the parliament speaker post from the AKP, the names of İsmet Yılmaz, who was elected after the June 7 election, former Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek, and İsmail Kahraman, who returned to active politics upon President Erdoğan’s appeal, are being mentioned.