Ministers of the new cabinet
Comparing the incoming and outgoing cabinet ministers, Minister Lütfi Elvan is the new cabinet’s deputy prime minister. He had replaced Binali Yıldırım in the Transportation Ministry. Now, Yıldırım is again the transportation minister, taking over the ministry he handed over. Thus they are both successors and predecessors to each other. Elvan, the student who has become the master, has outgrown his predecessor and been promoted to a higher position that was being kept vacant. Since he has taken a vacant position, he has no predecessor and thus no one to be compared to. Yıldırım may be compared to him but he has no one to be compared to.
Economy Minister Mustafa Elitaş took over from Nihat Zeybekci, who had suffered from talking “too much and too big.” Elitaş is a politician with discipline regarding speech that is a product of his days as the parliamentary group deputy head. He is careful in his words and is likely to excel in competence and merit.
Finance Minister Naci Ağbal has replaced Mehmet Şimşek, but he will work with Şimşek as the deputy prime minister. The new boss of the economy is his predecessor. Ağbal is a serious, disciplined and well-mannered finance civil servant. He has a great comprehension of fiscal discipline. What else would you want? He will hold on to the reigns tight together with his predecessor to succeed.
New Family and Social Policies Minister Sema Ramazanoğlu, in one sentence, will not make us miss her predecessor, Ayşenur İslam, who had a nice, elegant, knowledgeable and sensitive profile. However, she failed to stand out, remaining instead insignificant. Ramazanoğlu, in contrast, has a dominant character. She has big advantages and an open road ahead.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mahir Ünal will not be challenged to further move the ministry he has taken over. His predecessor, Ömer Çelik, did not leave a legacy behind, having failed to adequately focus on the ministry’s agenda. I know Ünal; he does not have complexes and will not be engaged in a race of populism. He will have to compete with this own potential.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak is out of the cocoon now; he has an individual political identity like other members of the cabinet. He will be responsible, take personal initiatives and be accountable. He is facing the most serious test in his short political career and has seized an unprecedented opportunity to prove himself. If we are to talk about a handicap, it is being a successor to a minister like Taner Yıldız, who was a brand name in crisis management. During the deplorable disaster in Soma, he was frank, didn’t hide behind excuses and risked his whole being. Albayrak is ambitious and has a bright CV, but it all adds up to performance.
Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Faruk Çelik is a politician with a background of being the labor minister. His predecessor, Mehdi Eker, on the other hand, was a walking encyclopedia. He knew the name of every living creature in the air, in the sea and on the land. Çelik does not need to compete with him. Because he comes from grassroots politics, his command of the problems of the farming, breeding and food producers will be adequate.
Labor and Social Security Minister Süleyman Soylu knows the slang of politics; he is a hardworking and energetic politician, but this is his first ministerial post. He is a newcomer to the cabinet. He lacks experience and he is replacing a master such as Faruk Çelik. Soylu will have a hard time not being overshadowed by his predecessor. But if he works really hard, then why not?
