TURKEY: Residents in Istanbul give their views of Turkish president-elect Tayyip Erdogan's decision to name Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as his future prime minister

Record ID: 217757

  • Title: TURKEY: Residents in Istanbul give their views of Turkish president-elect Tayyip Erdogan's decision to name Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as his future prime minister
  • Date: 22nd August 2014
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ISTANBUL RESIDENT, MEHMET BADEM, SAYING: "I don't think this will change anything. The current order will not change because I don't think he (Ahmet Davutoglu) is competent for this duty." PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ISTANBUL RESIDENT, FARUK ENES, SAYING: "I hope it will be good for the nation but I don't think this will lead to any
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAF1M07DP0AY77LFJST1V6YS6CT
  • Story Text: Turks talking to Reuters on the streets of Istanbul on Friday morning (August 22) were not hopeful about the future of the country's politics after Turkish president-elect Tayyip Erdogan named Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as his future prime minister.
    Erdogan also said a power struggle with a U.S.-based cleric, a Kurdish peace process and a new constitution would be his top priorities.
    Davutoglu, 55, an academic who has served as foreign minister for the past five years, rose to political prominence under Erdogan and is regarded as one of his closest allies.
    "I don't think this will change anything. The current order will not change because I don't think he (Ahmet Davutoglu) is competent for this duty." Istanbul resident Mehmet Badem said.
    "I hope it will be good for the nation but I don't think this will lead to any changes. The political picture of Turkey will remain as it is but I hope it will be well for the people and for the country." Ferric Enes added.
    Erdogan will step down as leader of the AK when he is inaugurated next week, as required by the constitution, but has made clear that he wants the party he co-founded more than 10 years ago to remain loyal and unified.
    Davutoglu's profile has risen sharply at home and abroad as foreign minister, initially on the back of his then-praised "zero problems with neighbours" policy and more recently as Erdogan's right-hand man at AK Party rallies.
    He has overseen foreign policy at a turbulent time for the Middle East. Wars in neighbouring Iraq and Syria and the Arab Spring uprisings caused his "zero problems" policy to crumble, with ties to Egypt, Syria, Israel, Iraq and Iran all degraded.
    Davutoglu is expected to appeal to a newer generation of Erdogan loyalists within the AK Party, which was founded in 2001 as a coalition of conservative religious Muslims, nationalists and centre-right elements.
    His ability to garner support among core AK voters will be pivotal if he is to lead the party to a stronger parliamentary majority in a general election next June, vital to Erdogan's chances of pushing through the constitutional change he needs to bolster the powers of the presidency.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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