Presidential elections in Turkey and the new cabinet of ministers

The second round of presidential elections in Turkey will be held on May 28. For the first time in the history of the Republic, the leader of the country was elected in two stages. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won with 52.16%. His opponent, the leader of the Turkish opposition, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, hold 47.84% of the vote.

It is noteworthy that residents of the provinces affected by the earthquake actively voted for the incumbent president, expressing confidence in Erdoğan. And residents of large metropolitan areas voted for the leader of the opposition. The map shows the provinces where each candidate holds advantage in the number of votes.

The voter turnout in the second round was 85.7%.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his gratitude to the people of Turkey and thanked the citizens for their active participation in the electoral process. The President noted the recovery after the earthquake and the fight against rising prices as one of the main goals for the new term of the government.

The inauguration took place on June 3. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken the oath of office in the Grand National Assembly and will rule the country until 2028.

The Cabinet of Ministers is almost completely renewed

The president, re-elected for a third term, announced the composition of the new cabinet of ministers, which includes mainly ministers who were not included in the previous government, but who have already proven that they are professional politicians and managers. Most of them studied in the USA and Europe.

• The Ministry of Health will be headed by 58-year-old Fahrettin Koca, who has held this position since 2018. His work during the coronavirus pandemic and the earthquake in the southeast was highly appreciated by the authorities.
• The Minister of Tourism and Culture, 55-year-old Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, and the former head of the Turkish parliament's budget committee, 56-year-old Cevdet Yilmaz, also remained in their posts. Yilmaz will take the position of vice president, studied in the USA at the University of Denver.
• The Turkish Foreign Ministry will be headed by 55-year-old Hakan Fidan. Previously, he headed the National Intelligence Organization. Studied in the USA at Bilkent University and served as a non-commissioned officer in the Turkish army. Fidan also headed the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination and served as Deputy Secretary of State in the Presidium of Ministers, headed intelligence.
• Former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who held the post for 9 years, will henceforth be a deputy from the province of Antalya.
• The Ministry of Finance will be headed by 48-year-old Alparslan Bayraktar, who was previously deputy minister. Graduated from Istanbul University, studied in the USA at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
• The Turkish Interior Ministry will be headed by the governor of the province of Istanbul, 54-year-old Ali Yerlikaya.
• 56-year-old Mehmet Simsek has been appointed Minister of Finance. In 2009-2015, he already held this post and has well established himself as one of the most professional economists in Turkey.
• The Ministry of Transport will be headed by 57-year-old Abdulkadir Uraloglu. Previously, he headed the General Department of Roads.
• The Ministry of Trade will be headed by 59-year-old Omer Bolat. He was the general coordinator of the Albayrak Group for 23 years and studied in the Netherlands and Germany.
• The Ministry of Industry and Technology will be headed by 39-year-old Mehmet Fatih Kacir, a former deputy minister.
• The Ministry of Education will be headed by Yusuf Tekin, 53, who is the rector of AHBV University in Ankara.
• The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs will be headed by 56-year-old Osman Ashkyn Bak. Previously, he headed the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Trained in the UK.
• The Ministry of Urban Development and the Environment will be headed by 66-year-old Mehmet Ozhaseki. He has previously held this position.
• The Ministry of Justice will be headed by 52-year-old MP Yilmaz Tunç.
• The Ministry of Labor will be headed by 57-year-old Vedat Yshykhan.
• The Ministry of Forestry and Agriculture will be headed by 54-year-old Ibrahim Yumakly, who previously worked as deputy head of this department and Al-Jazeera TV channel. He also worked at Anadolu.
• The Ministry of Family Affairs will be headed by a 40-year-old native of Belgium, Mahinur Goktash. She was the Belgian ambassador, head of the embassy in Algiers. Göktaş became the only female minister in the current Turkish government.

In May 2023, exports from Turkey increased by a record 14.4%, while the country's GDP growth accelerated to 4% in the first quarter. Also, according to TUIK, Turkey's economic confidence index is growing.