Former minister Babacan says his new party will fix the economy in 30 days

Duvar English

Ali Babacan, the former Economy Minister from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) who's in the process of founding a new political party, said that his team would fix the Turkish economy only in 30 days.

"Unemployment among the youth is at 26 percent, a record-setting level. Half of college graduates are unemployed. The issues with construction are not solvable. If we were to win the election this Sunday, we would fix the economy and public institutions in 30 days," Babacan said in an interview with Turkish independent news portal T24.

Babacan said when he was the deputy prime minister in 2013 he had warned the AKP brass that if Turkey were to halt reforms in education and law, the economy would not develop.

"I told them that the average education of a member of the workforce is six and a half years; Turkey can't enter the high income group in a state like this," Babacan added.

According to Babacan, anyone who wants to make a long-term investment in Turkey, whether it's a Turkish citizen or a foreigner, they'll look for law and justice in the country.

Demirtaş, Kavala "should stand trial without arrest"

Babacan defended that former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş and Osman Kavala, a renowned philanthropist, businessman and human rights activist, must be released on conditions of trial without arrest.

"The more we open up the path for the political fraction Demirtaş represents, the better it is for politics and for Turkey," Babacan said.

"Kanal Istanbul is a polarization project"

The former deputy prime minister also noted that Kanal Istanbul, the project for an artificial canal in Thrace that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls his dream, is a "polarization project."

"They [the government] need to change the agenda because the agenda is unemployment. This needs to be discussed in a participatory democracy," Babacan said.

Babacan added that what Turkey needs isn't a canal but investment in industrial markets and technology.

"Not a one-man party"

Babacan noted that his political party, expected to be formed in early 2020, will be a mainstream party which will encourage participatory and pluralistic democracy.

"Turkey doesn't need another one-man party. We will protect the rights of even a one-percent fraction [of society]," Babacan said.

He added that the presidential system "hasn't brought along peace nationally or internationally" and that Turkey needs an "enforced parliamentary system."