Eyes are on key seats as gov’t shapes new system

Nuray Babacan - ANKARA

With the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) accelerating works to shape the new administrative system following the June 24 polls, all eyes have now turned on the potential owners of 140 key positions in the state apparatus and the AKP management under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Among these 140 positions are at least three vice presidents, 16 ministers and deputy ministers, heads of nine presidential councils and four presidential offices as well as the General Secretary of the Office of the Presidency and Chief of Staff. In the same way, the AKP’s management in the parliament and headquarters will also be reshuffled with new parliamentary group leaders and 16 deputy leaders.

Erdoğan will chair the AKP’s top two decision-making bodies on June 29 in Ankara where he will discuss ongoing works for the redesign of the state machine in line with the new executive-presidential system adopted through last year’s referendum.

The government will have to finalize works on the details of the new system by July 8 or July 9 as Erdoğan will take his presidential oath and therefore will appoint the members of his cabinet as well as other senior officials.

500 senior bureaucrats to be reshuffled

According to the new system, Erdoğan’s government will also reshuffle high bureaucrats including governors, ambassadors, and general directors of many state agencies. Sources have told daily Hürriyet this reshuffle will affect around 500 senior bureaucrats. The idea introduced by this system is to create a better coordination between government and the bureaucracy for a more efficient rule.

Composition of government

One of the most important differences between the new and old systems is that elected lawmakers should resign from the parliament if they want to join the cabinet. As the AKP’s number of parliamentary seats is five less than the required simple majority, it is believed Erdoğan will appoint only one or two ministers from the parliament.

According to sources, Erdoğan’s cabinet may include undersecretaries from at least three ministries, whose performances have attracted the president’s attention.

Kalın, Ağbal as ministers

Two important figures, presidential spokesperson and chief foreign policy advisor İbrahim Kalın and Finance Minister Naci Ağbal are believed to be ministers in the new cabinet, sources have said. Ömer Çelik, a long-term aide of Erdoğan, who did not run for the parliament in the June 24 polls, is expected to replace İbrahim Kalın’s position in the presidency as presidential spokesman and advisor.

Binali Yıldırım as parliamentary speaker

The management of parliamentary processes will also have key importance, so the AKP is mulling to appoint strong figures to the parliament. Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım is expected to be appointed as the AKP candidate for parliamentary speaker while current deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ will serve as the AKP head of the parliamentary group.

Some former ministers will also take on roles as heads of the parliamentary commissions in the new parliament.