Eight ministers were removed from the Cabinet and nine new individuals were given ministerial status, while seven ministers now have different seats in the 27-member ministers' group. There is now much debate about the meaning of the new Cabinet; what its priorities will be and what the change of some ministers signifies. According to Bugün's Erhan Başyurt, the most striking change in the Cabinet is the change in ministers related to the economy, recalling the fact that the most important feature of the AK Party governments has been booming economic growth and exports, which took place in 27 consecutive quarters. "Although the Turkish economy has been influenced less by the ongoing global crisis than other countries, economic growth stopped, exports declined and unemployment has dramatically risen. The global economic crisis was managed well by the government -- there is no doubt about this. But the government failed to show the public that it was aware of the economic problems by making efforts to solve them. The delay in the announcement of incentive packages strengthened negative perceptions. In other words, a political, not an economic, failure was in question with regard to the fight against the global economic crisis. In the wake of this I really praise former Foreign Minister Ali Babacan's appointment as the deputy prime minister responsible for the economy's coordination," says Ba?yurt.
Radikal's İsmet Berkan sees the major changes in the Cabinet as Prime Minister Erdoğan's desire to turn over a new leaf in his government, leaving old tensions and conflicts behind. In his view, by acting this way, the government can concentrate on the economy, it can create an atmosphere of confidence again and it can achieve success in the fight against economic stagnation, which seems to be the greatest obstacle to Erdoğan's third term. With regard to the appointment of Bülent Arınç as deputy prime minister, a man famous for his straightforwardness, Berkan says this appointment shows Erdoğan wants to learn from his mistakes, change the style of his administration and be a force subject to some control. "This depends on Babacan telling Erdoğan bad news as well as Arınç warning Erdoğan from time to time and asking him to act with common sense. Yes, the second term of the AK Party starts today, and it will be as challenging as its first term. We will watch what happens with interest," Berkan says.
Star's Mahir Kaynak, looking at the new Cabinet list, thinks it is possible to say that Turkey's foreign policy will not be based on its EU goal and that policies promoting Turkey becoming a regional power will be given more prominence under the leadership of new Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoğlu. Davutoglu is considered the chief architect of the AK Party's more active regional engagement, taking as his motto "Zero-problem diplomacy," and a strong supporter of Turkey's close ties with its Middle Eastern neighbors.
