Messages and implications of the new government formation in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the composition of his new government after his inauguration ceremony as president for an additional 5 years. The names of the ministerial line-up were overwhelmingly new and carried many messages and connotations at home and abroad.

Line-up

Erdogan was sworn in on Saturday before Turkey's new parliament after confirming his victory according to the final results of the presidential election announced by the High Election Commission. On the same day, Ankara organized his inauguration ceremony as president of the next term, in a solemn ceremony that focused on the historical dimension by evoking Turkish countries throughout history.

The ceremony was attended by more than 5,80 guests, led by nearly 21 international officials, including <> heads of state, as well as prime ministers, parliament and international organizations. The attendance was attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Venezuela, the prime ministers of Armenia and Pakistan, the secretaries general of international organizations such as NATO, Turkish countries and Islamic cooperation, in addition to a large and remarkable presence of the heads of several African countries and the "Turkish" Central Asian republics, as well as the President of Kosovo and the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

At the Arab level, the Somali president, the head of the Libyan Government of National Unity and the Lebanese prime minister, in addition to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, and ministers and officials from several other Arab countries participated in the inauguration ceremony.

Erdogan's speech focused on two main meanings; the first is that the recent elections are a gain and a victory for all the Turkish people and not a loser, which was understood as a message of calm and internal embrace, especially since the most striking attendance was former President Abdullah Gul, who was known for his opposition during the past years and was likely to compete with Erdogan in the elections.

The second is the idea of the "century of Turkey" as a message of strength, communication and positivity in foreign policy and Turkey's advanced position regionally and internationally, a message that was supported by the large and high foreign presence at the inauguration ceremony.

The new cabinet line-up showed a very large rate of renewal, with only two of the 17 ministers retaining their portfolios, namely the ministers of health, tourism and culture, and Erdogan choosing former minister and prominent party leader Cevdet Yilmaz to be his deputy.

Accordingly, the new government was formed from new but well-known names in the political scene, the most important of which are former minister Mehmet Şimşek for the Ministry of Treasury and Finance and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is expected to be replaced by presidential spokesman and senior adviser to President Ibrahim Kalin.

Semantics and messages

The new government formation was full of many connotations and messages, foremost of which was the message of renewal and change that Erdogan had promised, and its signs were evident through the nomination of 15 out of 17 ministers for parliamentary elections, as the Turkish constitution prohibits combining the ministerial portfolio with membership of parliament.

Although it was possible to appoint one or some of the former ministers with his resignation from parliament, Erdogan preferred not to break this rule by any exception, and the number of his deputies in parliament does not allow him much margin in this direction so that the party's chances of chairing as many parliamentary committees as possible are not affected.

The government was also mostly formed from well-known names of the Turkish street, with competence and encouraging CVs in their fields of work, which spread an atmosphere of credibility, confidence and optimism. Unlike previous governments, prominent party leaders did not participate in the new cabinet, but a number of them originally came from their ministries, emphasizing the importance of bureaucracy and continuity at the same time.

The new ministers of "Agriculture and Forestry", "Industry and Technology" and "Energy and Natural Resources" were deputy ministers in past years, the new minister of "transportation and infrastructure" was director general of land roads, the new interior minister was governor of Istanbul, and the new minister of education was a former adviser in the ministry.

On the other hand, this time Erdogan chose his political deputy, the minister, former deputy prime minister, former deputy head of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and former head of the parliament's planning and budget committee, Cevdet Yilmaz. In our assessment, this is linked on the one hand to Erdogan's last presidential term, Yilmaz's economic roots and his understanding with the new Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, as well as the idea of reducing the burden of follow-up on Erdogan in general.

The appointment of Şimşek, former minister and deputy prime minister, after several meetings with Erdogan, indicates the importance and priority of the economic file in the coming period on the one hand, and sensing the weight of the man and his good reputation abroad, which can contribute to attracting investments, as well as the possibility of abandoning the previous economic approach in favor of "rational economic policies and structural reform of the economy" as stated by Simsek himself, even after a gradual transitional period.

The choice of intelligence strongman Hakan Fidan for the foreign ministry is both significant. In the first place, there is a reference to the importance of the portfolio in the coming period and emphasizing the idea of a "strong Turkey" in the region and the world, and no better than the "strong man" and Erdogan's right arm, as he is described in Turkey, to lead its diplomacy in the coming period.

Fidan was one of the Turkish foreign policymakers during the past years and one of the planners of its paths at the theoretical and practical levels, as he was – through the intelligence service – the one who initiated steps to improve relations with several regional parties (before diplomatic steps) as well as his direct involvement in the Libyan and Syrian files.

Finally, it holds important significance for Fidan's political future. He had previously wanted to leave office to engage in politics and resigned to run for parliament in 2015, but he returned because of Erdogan's opposition at the time.

Today, the latter nominates him for a high and sensitive position, which could open the doors for him to a broad political future, especially since it is Erdogan's last presidential term, which prompted the question of his successor in the party and the presidency, especially since Fidan is one of the few strong figures nominated to succeed him on the one hand and who enjoys his confidence on the other.

The appointment of the current Chief of Staff Yasar Güler to the Ministry of Defense was remarkable, and indicates the consolidation of a tradition in this direction, where former Minister Hulusi Akar had previously moved to the ministry from the Chief of Staff, a path that contributes to the consolidation of the equations of civil-military relations of importance and sensitivity in the country.

The selection of an important part of the ministers from outside the frameworks of the ruling party as well as from outside the parties of the ruling coalition and its supporters, and the fact that they are important and strong names in their specialties, indicates from some angle the increase in the level of delegation - for ministers - in managing the government and the decline in the centralization of Erdogan's management of things, and this may also be due to his desire to focus on more strategic files and farther from details, such as restructuring the Justice and Development Party, planning for its future, arranging for the next municipal elections, drafting a new constitution, and so on.

In conclusion, the composition of the new government indicates Erdogan's interaction with the messages of the election box on the one hand, and the composition of the new parliament on the other, and responding to the main challenges in the next stage, foremost of which is the economy.

In any case, the choices in general and related to the economy in particular, as well as Erdogan's rhetoric and expected steps regarding the ruling party, all point to the priority of the upcoming municipal elections in the president's vision and planning for the next phase.