What do Davutoglu's Cabinet choices indicate?
Turkey's new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is clearly working under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's direction, but some of his Cabinet choices may be attempts to placate critics.
Within a day of Recep Tayyip Erdogan moving into the Cankaya presidential palace overlooking Ankara as the 12th president of Turkey, new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu submitted the list of the 62nd Council of Ministers.
At first glance, this seems impressive efficiency, but it is more a reflection of a swift transition of power under President Erdogan, who aspires to be Turkey's “supreme leader.”
The new Cabinet formed by Davutoglu, until last week the minister of foreign affairs, is more or less a replica of the previous Erdogan government. Three ministers of Erdogan’s Cabinet have been replaced by four new ones, of whom two are the new deputy prime ministers. One was Erdogan's senior adviser and the other is a deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
In other words, Erdogan deployed two “political commissars” to both flanks of the new government who will enhance — undeniably — Davutoglu's power over the government. Davutoglu, in his speech to the AKP congress that confirmed his appointment by unanimous vote as per Erdogan’s wishes, made it clear that he will be subservient to the president, despite the strong personality he showed in his role as foreign minister.
