New cabinet expected to be announced next week

Nuray Babacan - ANKARA

DHA photo

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has put the final touches on its timeline to form a new government, as the country’s top election body released the final results of the Nov. 1 snap elections, confirming the AKP had regained its parliamentary majority.

Accordingly, members of the national assembly will take their oaths on Nov. 17 and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will commission Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to form the new government on the same day.

The new cabinet is expected to be announced on Nov. 18, on the anniversary of the formation of the very first AKP government by its then-leader, former President Abdullah Gül, back in 2002. Prominent party members have attached importance to this date, interpreting it as a “return to the foundational spirit” of the party.

The last round of ongoing talks between the Presidency and Prime Ministry regarding the new cabinet will be held on late Nov. 17. 

The cabinet is likely to include Binali Yıldırım, Numan Kurtulmuş, Faruk Çelik, Ömer Çelik, Mehmet Özhaseki, Ali Babacan, Cevdet Yılmaz, Bekir Bozdağ, Nihat Zeybekçi, Nurettin Canikli, Tuğrul Türkeş and Cemil Çiçek, if he is not elected as parliament speaker.

Unlike previously, Erdoğan will not wait for the election of the new parliament speaker, which will take place on Nov. 22, while the oldest parliament member, Deniz Baykal, will preside over the first session. 

The candidates for parliament speaker are İsmet Yılmaz, İsmail Kahraman and Çiçek.

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

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.