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ANKARA, Turkey – Recep Tayyip Erdogan was invested on Monday for a five-year term under a new Constitution that gives the President of Turkey extended executive powers. He quickly named his son-in-law finance minister, an appointment that disrupted the financial markets and raised new concerns about the concentration of so much power in a politician
"We, as Turkey, and the Turkish nation, Let's start a new start here in your presence, "Erdogan told hundreds of foreign leaders, dignitaries and party members gathered in the gardens of the presidential palace in Ankara, the capital. "We will make significant progress in all areas, from macroeconomic balances to investments to make Turkey one of the 10 largest economies in the world."
Erdogan, who has been at the helm of Turkish politics since 2003, received a new mandate from voters last month on promises to make Turkey more effective, and a big and strong state. Following a referendum that he defended last year, the formerly ceremonial presidency has significantly expanded its powers.
The question of whether Mr. Erdogan can have a hold on the faltering Turkish economy is another matter. Public debt has exploded, fueled by borrowing for large infrastructure projects, many of which were built by entrepreneurs with ties to Erdogan and his allies. The Turkish economy is still one of the most dynamic in the world, with a growth rate of 7.4% last year, but the pound fell recently, reflecting the concerns of creditors and investors. investors.
million. Erdogan has appointed his son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, former energy minister, Treasury and Finance Minister. The new cabinet, announced late in the evening, was eagerly awaited for an idea of what Mr. Erdogan is considering with his new powers.
Many appointments involved bureaucrats; only four were elected politicians. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintained his position; former Chief of the Defense Staff Hulusi Akar has been appointed Minister of Defense; and an American-trained bureaucrat, Fuat Oktay, has been appointed vice-president.
Oktay had served as under-secretary in the prime minister's office, which was abolished with the transition to a presidential system.
"This means that there will be more continuity than change," said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director at Ankara of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said before the announcement. "They will be performers," he added, "so he takes matters into his own hands."
Erdogan defended his constitutional change to introduce a strong presidential system – passed by referendum last year – as needed for greater efficiency and responsive government.
"The presidential system of government is not coercive but a specific choice that history has directed us toward," he told his guests. "For the first time in the 39 history since the Ottoman epoch, Turkey made its choice at a critical crossroads not by the force of a military state coup, "he said," but with free will of our nation. "The system will not solve Turkey's problems, growing economic tensions to its bitterly divided policy.
" It is completely false that if we change the system, the problems will be solved, "said Murat Sevinc, Professor of Constitutional Law for the Duvar Newspaper "They built a system that is not governable, unmanageable, who is elected."
Few Western leaders were present – the only leader in the European Union was the Bulgarian President – although being a former as German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, who has maintained close relations with Erdogan since taking office.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev sat in the front row, alongside the presidents of Somalia, Sudan, Chad and Pakistan. The emir of Qatar was the only Arab ruler present and President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was the only ruler of the Americas. The United States was represented by Philip S. Kosnett, chargé d'affaires at his embassy in Ankara
The United States and European countries have criticized the growing authoritarianism of Erdogan in recent years, and in particular its severe repression against the policies. opponents since a failed state coup in July 2016. More than 100,000 people have been arrested in emergency since the coup and 150,000 were purged of their jobs.
A few hours before his inauguration, Mr. Erdogan violated a decree ordering the dismissal. another 18,000 state employees, most of them members of the police and the army, but also professors and academicians.
The symbols of the day's events were examined to find out what they are coming up. Some of the celebrations were canceled out of respect for the 24 people killed when a train derailed in northwestern Turkey on Sunday night.
Legislators of the main opposition parties – the Republican People's Party and the Right Party, and the pro-Democratic Party of the Kurdish people – refused to stand up while Mr Erdogan was sworn in before the newly elected Parliament. Mr. Erdogan entered the room under applause, but boos also sounded in the hall
The president remained stern all the time, even when he made applause to his supporters
. Erdogan won the presidential race with 52% of the vote, but his party did not win a majority in Parliament and will work in alliance with the Nationalist Movement Party. Nearly half of the Parliament – representing a population the size of Spain – remains opposed to Mr. Erdogan, said Soner Cagaptay, author of a book about Erdogan, "The Last Sultan."
A thunderclap rang after Mr. Erdogan was sworn in and rain fell on the crowd gathered to celebrate the inauguration across the city in the gardens of the presidential palace.
First, Mr. Erdogan paid tribute to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic.
"Esteemed Ataturk," he wrote in a guestbook. "I promise to continue to strengthen the unity and fraternity of our nation, to enlarge our country, to glorify our state."
The gesture seemed destined to appease the opponents who accused Mr. Erdogan of trying to unravel the secular parliamentary republic. The legacy of Mr. Ataturk.
Erdogan climbed into a black car lined with red carnations, flanked by a police escort mounted to the presidential palace, arriving as Turkish artillery sounded a 21-gun salute.
On land that Mr. Ataturk had set aside for an experimental farm, Mr. Erdogan built a monumental palace four times the size of Versailles
In royal procession, he walked along the gardens of the palace, with his wife, Emine, by his side, in front of a colorful guard in medieval costumes. He greeted the guests and sympathizers and allowed himself to smile.
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