ANKARA
A cabinet shuffle took place in the Turkish capital of Ankara following a meeting between Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A Justice and Development (AK) Party deputy from Mardin, Muammer Guler was appointed as the Interior Minister, Deputy Chairman of the AK Party and a deputy from Adana, Omer Celik was appointed as the Culture and Tourism Minister, an AK Party deputy from Eskisehir, Nabi Avci was appointed as the National Education Minister, while an AK Party deputy from Edirne, Mehmet Muezzinoglu was appointed as the Health Minister on Thursday.
Ministers Idris Naim Sahin, Ertugrul Gunay, Omer Dincer and Recep Akdag have been left out of the Turkish cabinet.
WHO IS WHO IN NEW CABINET:
Minister of Internal Affairs
Idris Naim Sahin was the Interior Minister until Thursday night. He was elected to the Turkish Grand Assembly in 2002, representing Istanbul and was appointed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011. He is well known for his blunders during his speeches causing widespread debates. He is also known as the minister who has served the shortest time in the Cabinet with 1,5 years. Sahin was a close aide of Tayyip Erdogan after he was elected Mayor of Istanbul in 1994.
Former Governor, now minister
Muammer Guler was the head of Parliament’s Interior Affairs Commission. A former senior civil servant in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a Mardin deputy of the ruling party, Guler served as Istanbul governor between 2003 and 2010. Before he was elected to parliament he was Head of a newly established department called Public Order and Securty.
Minister of Culture and Tourism
Ertugrul Gunay, former Secretary General of the main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP), joined the ruling party prior to the elections in 2007. He was elected as a member of parliament from Istanbul in 2007, then re-elected from Izmir in 2011. He has been the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey since 2007.
Close aide of Erdogan will head Culture
Omer Celik, the head of the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) foreign relations department, joined the Cabinet for the first time since 2002 as the Minister of Culture and Tourism. Celik had been Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political adviser since 2002.
Minister of National Education
Omer Dincer was appointed as Minister of Social Security in the second parliament led by Ak Party and in 2011 he was appointed as Minister of National Education. He was criticized by his attitude towards the teachers who couldn't be appointed as civil servants. Before being elected to parliament Dincer was chief civil servant of the country and worked as Undersecretary of Prime Ministry since Erdogan's first cabinet.
Another adviser, a Professor of communications
Nabi Avci, Eskisehir deputy of the ruling party, was the chairman of Parliament’s Education, Youth and Sports Commission before the cabinet change. He chaired the controversial commission meetings of a much-criticized education reform called 4+4+4. He also served as the Turkish PM Erdogan's press advisor for many years and was close to him since 1990. Avcı is a professor of communications and author of some respected books.
A long rein at Health ends
Recep Akdag, the Minister of Health prior to the Cabinet change, is one of the longest served ministers of the Cabinet since 2002. As minister, he oversaw the largest reforms on the health services in Turkey's history and was in cabinet longer than even Erdogan himself, 11 years.
New Health Minister
Dr. Mehmet Muezzinoglu is a former head of Istanbul organisation of the ruling AK Party and one of PM Erdogan’s close colleagues. Muezzinoglu worked in grassroots of the party and now a deputy representing far western province of Edirne.
