Erdogan takes on new powers, names son-inlaw finance chief

ANKARA (AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday took on greater powers than any Turkish leader for decades as he was sworn in for a second presidential term, naming his son-in-law to the key post of finance minister in a revamped cabinet. Erdogan, who has already transformed Turkey in 15 years of rule, took his oath of office in parliament under the new presidential system denounced by opponents as a one-man regime. Describing the monumental change as a ''new beginning,'' he vowed at a later ceremony at his vast Ankara presidential palace to be the president of all 81 million Turks. ''We have come not to be master but to be servant of our people,'' he added. He then unveiled the first cabinet under the new system, appointing his son-in-law Berat Albayrak, 40, to the crucial post of finance minister, in a move that appeared to rattle markets. Army chief of staff General Hulusi Akar joined the government as defense minister but Mevlut Cavusoglu kept the post of foreign minister.