President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will be more effective in Turkey’s economy and monetary policy if he wins the June 24 elections.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, Erdogan said: “When the people fall into difficulties because of monetary policies, who are they going to hold accountable?
“They will hold the president accountable. Since they will ask the president about it, we have to give off the image of a president who’s influential on monetary policies.”
He said steps would be taken to protect Turkish interests.
“However, we will take these steps to protect Turkey's interests. We will do whatever it takes for our country’s interests.”
About how ties with the Central Bank will continue, Erdogan said: "We have a relationship with the Central Bank now, and it will continue in the same direction. We are not new in country management, we are not just taking over the duty; We have been running the country continuously for 16 years."
He said monetary policies will be applied in accordance with global principles.
"This management approach is what is in America, what it is in Europe, it will be the same in Turkey. Something that is legitimate for them cannot be illegitimate for us. Everyone knows that.
“We will take our steps accordingly. We will never have our country lose."
Independent Central Bank
Erdogan also said that Turkey’s Central Bank is independent, but will make evaluations according to the president’s signals. He said cutting interests will bring lower inflation.
He also said that the effectiveness of the president in the new presidential system will change.
“We are going to do this so we can be held accountable for the responsibility we’ve taken,” he said.
This April, the parliament passed a bill for early elections, cementing Turkey’s move to a presidential system.
In the April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters approved the switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential one.
