Mehmet Şimşek, Turkey’s former deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, announced on Monday that he is not interested in engaging in active politics after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The meeting between Şimşek and Erdoğan took place in the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) headquarters in Ankara, days after a source in the ruling party told Reuters that Erdoğan wanted to give a top role to Şimşek, who is highly credible in international financial circles.
Following the meeting, AKP’s spokesperson Ömer Çelik told reporters that Erdoğan did not propose Şimşek take a role in his potential future cabinet, but added that all mechanisms in the party are open to Şimşek should he want to re-enter politics.
However, many on social media claimed that the huge number of reporters and cameras following the meeting in front of the AKP headquarters on Monday evening proved that the ruling party had made preparations to announce that Şimşek would rejoin to the AKP ahead of 14 May elections. Nobody used a stand that was set up in front of the building for a speech at the end of the meeting.
“I had the opportunity to have a warm meeting with our president at AKP headquarters this evening,” Şimşek said on Twitter, and thanked Erdoğan.
“I am always ready to give support on issues that fall in my area,” the former economy chief said. “But due to my work at foreign financial institutions, I am not thinking of going into active politics,” he added.
Erdoğan has been facing a severe decline in terms of voters’ support ahead of elections, as people cope with eroding standards of living and the depreciation of the Turkish lira, which, according to economists, is the result of the president’s unorthodox economic policies.
The 6 February twin earthquakes that hit the country’s south will add to Turkey’s economic problems as the total economic cost of the disaster is expected to be over $100 billion, according to United Nations figures.
Along with Ali Babacan, Şimşek was shown as one of the leading figures in the then prime minister Erdoğan’s cabinets, praised for successes in directing the Turkish economy.
Şimşek withdrew from political life to work in prominent finance institutions, while Babacan left the AKP and established the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), after a new presidential system was introduced in mid-2018 that gave Erdoğan enormous powers.
