Dissent stifled in Turkey as Erdogan warms up

ANKARA: Turkey’s new cabinet will bear the firm stamp of President Tayyip Erdogan with a slew of loyal advisors set for ministerial posts, senior officials said yesterday, suggesting his grip will tighten as the AK Party returns to govern alone.

The AKP’s dramatic comeback on Sunday, clawing back a majority lost only five months earlier, was a personal victory for Erdogan, whose ambition for stronger presidential powers rests on the party he founded controlling parliament.

Opponents fear that the result – which dashed any hopes of a coalition government that might soothe deep social divisions – will exacerbate his authoritarian instincts. There are already signs that a crackdown on dissent is intensifying.

Authorities detained dozens of people, including senior police officers and bureaucrats, yesterday on suspicion of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric Erdogan accuses of plotting to overthrow him with bogus corruption accusations.

The offices of a left-leaning magazine were raided over a cover suggesting the election result could trigger conflict.

“It has been a key element of politics since Machiavelli, the ability to manipulate fear. But Mr Tayyip has proved to be a real master,” wrote Ali Sirmen, a columnist in the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper.

Officials in Ankara said the new cabinet, part of Erdogan’s plan to forge “a new Turkey, and likely to be announced late next week at the earliest, would include several top Erdogan advisors, although Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was likely to keep control of the economic team.

Those tipped for posts include staunch ally and former transport minister Binali Yildirim and former interior minister Efkan Ala. – Reuters