18.10.2025 08:51
It has been claimed that during the AK Party's reception at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, an offer was made to DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan to take charge of the economic management. According to the allegations, Babacan did not reject this offer and expressed interest not only in the Ministry of Treasury and Finance but also in the Ministry of Justice.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with opposition leaders at the reception for the opening of the new legislative year of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) on October 1. The photos taken at the opening, which the CHP boycotted, were widely discussed in the political agenda. In particular, the images of the DEVA Party and the Future Party, which entered the TBMM from the CHP lists, standing side by side with Erdoğan sparked criticism. Journalist Özlem Gürses brought up a striking claim about DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan.
"HE RECEIVED AN OFFER TO BE APPOINTED AS THE HEAD OF ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT"
Speaking on her program "Money Policy and Life" on Sözcü TV, Gürses conveyed what was being discussed in the Ankara corridors:
"Ali Babacan received a serious offer from the AK Party to be appointed as the head of economic management. Babacan is considering this. As far as I hear, it is being discussed in the corridors: Babacan has requested not only the Ministry of Treasury but also the Ministry of Justice. He said, 'If I come back, I will return in this way; one is not independent of the other, you cannot solve one without the other.' Will he return or not? He knows best; that is a separate issue for him. But I feel that there is a search in the economy."
BABACAN SAID "WE ONLY SHOOK HANDS" ABOUT THE PHOTO
DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan commented on the photo taken with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and political party leaders at the opening ceremony of the TBMM, saying, "The invitation we received was only for the reception. When we entered the hall with our deputies, we were at the farthest point from the door. After a while, the seating arrangement was changed, and we were shown a chair. We greeted the people there and asked about their well-being. At that moment, our Speaker of the Assembly, Numan Kurtulmuş, stood up and addressed all the party leaders. He expressed his gratitude for the support we provided for the ongoing commission work in the Assembly. In this commission, which addresses issues such as democracy, national unity, and brotherhood, we, as the DEVA Party, have been present from the very beginning and are contributing. I thought that this invitation was actually made for this thank you. The meeting did not last very long. We sat for about fifteen minutes. A few party leaders took the floor briefly, and then the program ended. There was no substantive conversation or in-depth discussion. There was no special dialogue with President Erdoğan. We only shook hands and asked about each other's well-being. Other than that, we did not have any conversation. The atmosphere of that day was more of a greeting and thank you meeting."