Turkey President's oath ceremony: Following a victory in the recently concluded general election in the country, Turkey's longtime President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is all set to take the oath of office in parliament on Saturday, June 3. This will also mark his third term in office. Last week, 69-year-old Erdogan won a new five-year term in a runoff presidential race that could stretch his 20-year rule in the country. According to reports, he is also likely to announce the members of his new Cabinet after the oath ceremony.
The country of 85 million controls NATO's second-largest army, hosts millions of refugees and played a crucial role in brokering a deal that allowed the shipment of Ukraine grain, averting a global food crisis. Dozens of foreign dignitaries are travelling to attend the ceremony, including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Carl Bildt, a high-profile former Swedish prime minister.
Domestic challenges loom as Erdogan takes oath
They are expected to press Erdogan to lift his country's objections to Sweden's membership in the military alliance — which requires unanimous approval by all allies. Erdogan takes the oath of office amid a host of domestic challenges ahead, including a battered economy, pressure for the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees and the need to rebuild after a devastating earthquake in February that killed 50,000 and levelled entire cities in the south of the country.
The country is grappling with a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by inflation that peaked at a staggering 85 per cent in October before easing to 44 per cent last month.
The Turkish currency has lost more than 10 per cent of its value against the dollar since the start of the year. Critics blame the turmoil on Erdogan's policy of lowering interest rates to promote growth, which runs contrary to conventional economic thinking that calls for raising rates to combat inflation.
Erdogan emerges winner in May 14 presidential runoff
Erdogan is already Turkiye's longest-serving leader In power as Prime Minister and then as president since 2003. He has solidified his rule through constitutional changes that transformed Turkey's presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office. Notably, Erdogan defeated opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a runoff vote held on May 28, after he narrowly failed to secure an outright victory in a first round of voting on May 14.
(With AP inputs)
