File Photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Agence France-Presse)
Ankara:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday chaired a cabinet meeting for the first time as head of state, in a marathon get-together aimed at cementing his role as Turkey's undisputed number one.
Mr Erdogan, who took over the presidency in August elections after more than a decade as premier, hosted the cabinet at his lavish and hugely controversial presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara.
The meeting lasted 8.5 hours, including a break for lunch, with Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc telling reporters that issues ranging from the economy to the situation in Turkey's restive southeast had been discussed.
He insisted it would not be a "routine" for Mr Erdogan to chair cabinet meetings but said it could happen again.
"If the President wants to chair a meeting in the future that decision can be taken," said Mr Arinc, who also acts as top government spokesman.
"President can use his constitutional powers whenever he wants," said Arinc, adding the next meeting would be held as normal at the Prime Minister's office in a week.
The Turkish president has the right under the constitution to chair cabinet meetings, which are usually overseen by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a close Erdogan ally.
However Mr Erdogan's two predecessors in the presidential job - Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Abdullah Gul - performed largely ceremonial roles and never chaired a government meeting.
The last president to do so was Suleyman Demirel, who served as head of state from 1993-2000. Mr Erdogan is just the sixth Turkish president in the history of the modern republic founded in 1923 to chair a cabinet meeting.
The official images of the closed-door meeting showed Mr Erdogan sitting at the head of a vast oval table, facing the ministers. A portrait of modern Turkey's secular founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk hung above his head.
A photo from the meeting depicting a seemingly annoyed Davutoglu - looking sidelined at the table with just a jug of orange juice for company - drew mocking comments on social media.
Mr Erdogan, who took over the presidency in August elections after more than a decade as premier, hosted the cabinet at his lavish and hugely controversial presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara.
The meeting lasted 8.5 hours, including a break for lunch, with Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc telling reporters that issues ranging from the economy to the situation in Turkey's restive southeast had been discussed.
He insisted it would not be a "routine" for Mr Erdogan to chair cabinet meetings but said it could happen again.
"If the President wants to chair a meeting in the future that decision can be taken," said Mr Arinc, who also acts as top government spokesman.
"President can use his constitutional powers whenever he wants," said Arinc, adding the next meeting would be held as normal at the Prime Minister's office in a week.
The Turkish president has the right under the constitution to chair cabinet meetings, which are usually overseen by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a close Erdogan ally.
However Mr Erdogan's two predecessors in the presidential job - Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Abdullah Gul - performed largely ceremonial roles and never chaired a government meeting.
The last president to do so was Suleyman Demirel, who served as head of state from 1993-2000. Mr Erdogan is just the sixth Turkish president in the history of the modern republic founded in 1923 to chair a cabinet meeting.
The official images of the closed-door meeting showed Mr Erdogan sitting at the head of a vast oval table, facing the ministers. A portrait of modern Turkey's secular founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk hung above his head.
A photo from the meeting depicting a seemingly annoyed Davutoglu - looking sidelined at the table with just a jug of orange juice for company - drew mocking comments on social media.
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