Turkey's President approves caretaker cabinet

A statement released by the president's office on Friday said that Erdogan had approved the list of temporary cabinet ministers submitted by Davutoglu who, like Erdogan, belongs to the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"Our president... approved the interim cabinet formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Davutoglu," said the presidency's statement, which was released after a nearly one-hour-long meeting between Erdogan and Davutoglu.

The appointment of a caretaker government became necessary after Davutoglu failed in his attempts to cobble together a coalition that would give him a majority in parliament. This came after the inconclusive general election in June, in which the AKP finished first but lost its overall majority in the Ankara parliament for the first time in more than a decade.

Pro-Kurdish cabinet ministers

The new cabinet is mainly made up of members of the AKP, but it also includes two lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish People's Development Party (HDP), Muslum Dogan and Ali Haydar Konca, making this the first time that a Kurdish party has been represented at the cabinet table. Dogan has been handed the development portfolio, while Konca has been put in charge of relations with the European Union.

Tugrul Turkes, a deputy chairman of the nationalist MHP also caused a stir by breaking ranks with his party to take one of the four deputy premier posts. The MHP had refused to join the 26-member interim cabinet, which according to the constitution is to be filled in accordance with how many seats each party has in parliament. Some have speculated that Turkes could face expulsion from the MHP as a result.

Under the constitution, the newly appointed interim government will not have to seek a vote of confidence in parliament, as the president's approval is considered sufficient.

pfd/jm,lw (Reuters, AFP, AP)