Erdogan swore with new powers, promises a "strong Turkey"



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President Tayyip Erdogan pledged to build a "strong Turkey" with a powerful defense industry and an expanding economy on Monday, after lending new powers to a country that he dominates for 15 years.

Assuming the new executive presidency that he has long sought to establish, Erdogan was sworn in parliament before addressing international leaders gathered at the presidential palace in Ankara.

  The President of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Amina (Photo: AFP)

The President of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Amina (Photo: AFP)

"We, Turkey and The Turks are making a fresh start here today, "he told dignitaries and thousands of guests. "We leave behind the system that has cost our country in the past a heavy price in the political and economic chaos".

Erdogan, 64, says the new and powerful executive presidency is essential to boost economic growth, provide security after a military coup coup in 2016, and protect Turkey from conflict across its southern border. Syria and Iraq.

"We are going down this road using this opportunity as best we can for a strong parliament, a strong government and a strong Turkey," he said.

  President Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AP)

President Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AP)

The introduction of the new presidential system marks the biggest reform of governance since the republic was established on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire almost a century ago.

The post of prime minister has been abolished and the president will now be able to choose his own cabinet, regulate the ministries and remove the officials, without the approval of Parliament.

  The crowd throws flowers at Erdogan's convoy (Photo: AP)

The crowd throws flowers at Erdogan's convoy (Photo: AP)

Erdogan's supporters see the changes as just reward For a leader who placed Islamic values ​​at the heart of public life, he defended the pious working clbades and oversaw years of strong economic growth.

Opponents say that this movement marks a turning point towards authoritarianism, accusing Erdogan of eroding the secular institutions set up by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and distancing it from the values of democracy and freedom of expression.

Marc Pierini, former EU ambbadador to Turkey and visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, said that Erdogan's new powers would effectively make him an "executive super-president".

"Most powers will be concentrated in his hands, there will be no more prime minister, and almost none of the checks and balances of liberal democracies will be present." In other words, Turkey will be an institutionalized autocracy. "

Erdogan will appoint a streamlined cabinet of 16 ministers on Monday night after the ceremony at the presidential palace, attended by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Sudanese President Omar Hbadan. al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

  Erdogan and his wife Amina at the presidential palace in Ankara (Photo: Reuters)

Erdogan and his wife Amina at the presidential palace in Ankara (Photo: Reuters)

No prominent Western leader appears on a list 50 presidents, prime ministers and other high-ranking guests.

Turkey is a member of the Western military alliance, NATO, but it disagrees with the United States on military strategy in Syria and with the European Union on the purges at large scale state institutions of Ankara. , police and media after the coup failed.

Investors were waiting to see if cabinet members would include people considered pro-market, especially if Mehmet Simsek, who was deputy prime minister, would continue to oversee the economy, said Inan Demir, senior economist at Nomura International.

The reading, which is down 16% since the beginning of the year, has changed little since its opening at 4.5680 at 1700 GMT. He had won earlier in the day, but then briefly dropped more than 1% after a decree removed a clause stipulating a five-year term for the governor of the central bank.

  Inauguration of Erdogan (Photo: AP)

Inauguration of Erdogan (Photo: AP)

The removal of the term would remove a shield that helps guarantee the bank's independence from politicians, said former central banker Ugur Gurses. A senior adviser to Erdogan later said that the governors would still be appointed for a five-year term.

The lira was battered by concern over Erdogan's downward trend in interest rates and by comments in May that he was planning to take control of the company. Economy after the June elections.

"We will strengthen our defense industry and border security, we will make very large investments in all areas … in order to become one of the 10 largest economies," said Mr. Erdogan.

Inflation jumped last month above 15 percent, its highest level in more than a decade, although the central bank raised its interest rates by 5 points since April.

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