Opposition slams ministerial choice
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 06, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Leaders of opposition parties criticize the prime minister’s choice of Ahmet Davutoğlu as foreign minister in his revamped Cabinet, citing that he did not serve as a deputy. Erdoğan responds and points to previous appointments.
The opposition parties criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan yesterday for appointing Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu as foreign minister on the grounds that he was not a deputy. Â
"What attracts our attention most in the Cabinet reshuffle is that the ruling party, which holds the majority of seats in Parliament, could not find any other competent candidate for the post among its 338 deputies," said Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahçeli, speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday.
Erdoğan late Friday announced the Cabinet reshuffle, which removed eight ministers from the Cabinet, shifted seven ministers and recruited nine new figures. Bahçeli noted his respect to Davutoğlu’s academic identity, but argued that appointing someone as a minister from outside Parliament contradicts with national will, which Erdoğan emphasized while nominating Abdullah Gül for president.
In a reply to Bahçeli’s statement, Erdoğan recalled that Kemal Derviş was also appointed as a minister though he was not a Parliament member during the coalition government’s term in office, of which the MHP was part. "You [Bahçeli] should look in the mirror first before giving advice to us," Erdoğan said.
"You failed as the coalition government and appointed Derviş as a minister from outside Parliament," he said. Stating that approximately 20 ministers were appointed from outside Parliament in the past, Erdoğan said that as long as the law allows it, there was nothing to discuss. Erdoğan also rejected claims that he reshuffled the Cabinet because the former ministers were unsuccessful. "This is just a process of innovation and refreshment," he said. Meanwhile, Davutoğlu took his oath of office at Parliament’s general meeting yesterday and became Turkey’s new foreign minister.
CHP likens Ergenekon probe to Mardin incidents
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting, main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal likened the Ergenekon investigation to the latest incidents in Mardin, where masked gunmen attacked an engagement party and killed at least 44 people late Monday. "You are making a massacre like the one in Mardin. You kill honor, morality and virtue. This is a psychological demolition operation," Baykal said.
He also criticized the government’s approach to the Lighthouse e.V. fraud case. "Germany requests information, saying the real culprits are in Turkey, but what is required has not been done yet," he said. In relation to the government’s attempts to extend Parliament’s and the president’s tenure, Baykal said the CHP will not support a constitutional amendment on the issue.
"They cannot stay in power by extending the tenure," he said. "Parliament’s tenure is four years, while the presidential tenure is five years. There is not any legal debate on the issue," he said. There was c onfusion over the president’s tenure because of constitutional amendments that reduced the presidential term from seven to five years. But as Gül was elected before the amendments passed, some experts argue that his tenure should be seven years.
"What attracts our attention most in the Cabinet reshuffle is that the ruling party, which holds the majority of seats in Parliament, could not find any other competent candidate for the post among its 338 deputies," said Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahçeli, speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday.
Erdoğan late Friday announced the Cabinet reshuffle, which removed eight ministers from the Cabinet, shifted seven ministers and recruited nine new figures. Bahçeli noted his respect to Davutoğlu’s academic identity, but argued that appointing someone as a minister from outside Parliament contradicts with national will, which Erdoğan emphasized while nominating Abdullah Gül for president.
In a reply to Bahçeli’s statement, Erdoğan recalled that Kemal Derviş was also appointed as a minister though he was not a Parliament member during the coalition government’s term in office, of which the MHP was part. "You [Bahçeli] should look in the mirror first before giving advice to us," Erdoğan said.
"You failed as the coalition government and appointed Derviş as a minister from outside Parliament," he said. Stating that approximately 20 ministers were appointed from outside Parliament in the past, Erdoğan said that as long as the law allows it, there was nothing to discuss. Erdoğan also rejected claims that he reshuffled the Cabinet because the former ministers were unsuccessful. "This is just a process of innovation and refreshment," he said. Meanwhile, Davutoğlu took his oath of office at Parliament’s general meeting yesterday and became Turkey’s new foreign minister.
CHP likens Ergenekon probe to Mardin incidents
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting, main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal likened the Ergenekon investigation to the latest incidents in Mardin, where masked gunmen attacked an engagement party and killed at least 44 people late Monday. "You are making a massacre like the one in Mardin. You kill honor, morality and virtue. This is a psychological demolition operation," Baykal said.
He also criticized the government’s approach to the Lighthouse e.V. fraud case. "Germany requests information, saying the real culprits are in Turkey, but what is required has not been done yet," he said. In relation to the government’s attempts to extend Parliament’s and the president’s tenure, Baykal said the CHP will not support a constitutional amendment on the issue.
"They cannot stay in power by extending the tenure," he said. "Parliament’s tenure is four years, while the presidential tenure is five years. There is not any legal debate on the issue," he said. There was c onfusion over the president’s tenure because of constitutional amendments that reduced the presidential term from seven to five years. But as Gül was elected before the amendments passed, some experts argue that his tenure should be seven years.