Ex-army chief rises swiftly in Turkish civilian politics
Hulusi Akar, Turkey’s new defense minister, could play a balancing role in the new regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As with politics in most countries, it pays to have friends in high places in Turkey.
Turkey held its first Supreme Military Council meeting under the new presidential regime Aug. 4. In accordance with the new constitution, the ministers of treasury and finance and education attended the meeting for the first time. The council, which comes together twice a year, decides on the promotions and retirements of colonels and generals in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). This year, civilian members of the council outnumbered military members for the first time because of the new participation of the two ministers.
The most significant outcomes of the meeting were promotions awarded to officers close to new Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who was chief of general staff, and the retirement of those who aren't close to him.
The majority of the colonels promoted to general had worked with Akar before. With this, Akar — who already had close ties to new Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler and other force commanders — further consolidated his control over the TSK.
