The most exciting days in the Turkish Grand National Assembly were after the general elections. If the opposition won the election, the Council of Ministers would be formed from scratch, so every MP who was elected would consider himself lucky in terms of a ministry.

Yes, every member of parliament; we even had ministers whose illiteracy was questionable in the past.

When the government regained its confidence at the ballot box,  even the favourites of the ‘Gentleman’ could not be sure of keeping their places.

In those days, the Parliament would become a monument of dark-suited deputies.

When there were more people in dark clothes, senior parliamentary reporters would say among themselves, “The dark-colored ones have been taken off.”

Those days are long gone.

There are still ministers, but there is no longer  a ‘ Council of Ministers’, it has been replaced by the ‘Presidential Cabinet’.

The President does not visit the Parliament every day like the prime ministers of the past, so that those who are waiting for a ministerial position can pull on their caps and appear in public…

In fact, being a member of parliament nowadays reduces the chance of a ministerial position; ministers must not have the title of a member of parliament, and if the person appointed has that title, he must resign…

What should the one who dreams of being a minister do now?

The reception given by the Speaker of the Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş , on October 1, when the Turkish Grand National Assembly started its new legislative year,  was an opportunity for this. Indeed, the large hall was filled with people from various levels of the AKP, rather than members of parliament.

They were all wearing dark colored clothes.

But the expected did not come.  President Tayyip Erdoğan had a foreign guest…

The ‘Presidential Cabinet’ consists of ministers appointed – or reappointed – following the general and presidential elections held on May 14-28, 2023. They have not even warmed up their seats. However, it seems that the time is near for some to leave those seats.

President Erdoğan , who is the appointing authority  , announced that he was considering making changes in the party and the cabinet during his Balkans trip.

In the past, the names of ministers were memorized shortly after their appointment, and we, as journalists, were able to establish a decent relationship with them.

I just opened the relevant page of the Presidency website and noticed that, apart from one or two ministers, there were very few that I would recognize if I came across them.

I don’t even know the names of most of them.

Is it a condition?

So, it was not necessary…

I wonder which of these 17 ministers will be removed from their positions?

Yes, if change is really going to be made, the purge may not be limited to one or two ministers.

Changes limited to one or two ministers are made when the time comes, through the minister’s ‘request for forgiveness’.

The last minister of health and the minister of environment, urban planning and climate change left the cabinet in this way.

In the photos on the Presidency website, all the ministers are smiling. I find this natural. Being a minister means having a huge office, a state-of-the-art official car, a secretariat consisting of many staff, and the title of “Mr. Minister” until death…

Being removed from office is a blow worse than death.

It is very difficult to digest.

Nowadays, other doors are kept open for former ministers and former MPs.   Companies in the Wealth Fund , embassies, rectors’ offices and at least deputy ministers’ offices…

There are many ways to be happy.

Of course, provided that he does not show his discomfort too much when he is dismissed from office…

I think that  President Erdoğan ‘s statement that “There will be a change in the cabinet” did not affect the current ministers as much as it did the ministers of the past.

In the past, when there were rumors of a change in the government, ministers would look for someone who might know whether they were leaving or not, and politicians waiting for office would look for someone who might know whether it would be their turn to be ministers.

Who should the people of today ask? There is only one person who can know their fate.

With a cabinet reshuffle on the horizon, who might get the lucky break this time?

We know that after Murat Kurum lost Istanbul, senior minister  Mehmet Özhaseki was removed from office and he was brought into his position; I would not be surprised if Turgut Altınok, who was unsuccessful in Ankara,   also had expectations of a ministerial position.

Why not?

Metin Feyzioğlu  later changed his attitude when he was the president of the Bar Association and was eventually rewarded with an ambassadorship. I think others in his situation have also started counting the days for a cabinet change.

Who else?

There are other valuable people I could list in an instant, but I am afraid that if I give their names or coordinates here, I might hinder their future, so I am not going to mention them.

They have already begun to make themselves visible.