Tuesday July 10, 2018
photoj
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named his son-in-law as the country's finance minister after being sworn in to another five-year term.
The appointment of Berat Albayrak, who had served as energy minister since 2015, appeared to rattle the markets.
Mr Erdogan, who was re-elected last month, vowed to "propel our country forward" with his sweeping new powers.
But his opponents fear that his new role as executive president will destroy Turkish democracy.
Mr Erdogan's new position marks a transition away from a parliamentary system and the office of prime minister, which has been in place since the foundation of the modern Turkish republic 95 years ago.
It allows him to appoint ministers and vice-presidents and intervene in the legal system.
After taking the oath of office in parliament on Monday, Mr Erdogan told guests at the presidential palace in the capital, Ankara, that Turkey was "making a new start".
"We are leaving behind the system that has in the past cost our country a heavy price in political and economic chaos," he said.