Turkey's new president on Wednesday approved a Cabinet proposed by his old ally, the prime minister, after vowing that he would be impartial and respect secularist principles enshrined in the constitution, according to AP. Abdullah Gul, who has the power to veto legislation and official appointments, swiftly signed off on a Cabinet comprising a mix of figures with Islamist and secular backgrounds, including a former member of an opposition party. Opponents of Gul have said they will watch him closely for signs of bias in favor of the Islamic-oriented government. One of the most prominent Cabinet members is Ali Babacan, the former economy minister who takes over the post of foreign minister that was left vacant when Gul won election to the presidency in a parliamentary ballot on Tuesday. The U.S.-educated Babacan played a key role in lifting Turkey out of recession and is a firm advocate of European Union membership. «We will work for more freedoms and for more economic welfare,» Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after Gul approved the list. «We will be continuing on our path, with a new enthusiasm, with the new blood that we have brought in. We have formed a strong team,» he said.
