By means of an amendment made to the regulation governing promotions within public institutions, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has introduced oral exams while removing the requirement for a written exam.
The amendment, which is leading to concerns of even further nepotism within the Turkish bureaucracy, drew the ire of the president of Türk Büro-Sen, a union for public servants. Fahrettin Yokuş said the change aims to create a bureaucracy that serves the governing party instead of the state. According to him, the only criteria in the interviews would be partisanship and loyalty to the government.
In the old regulation, promotions within government institutions were dependent on success in written exams. In addition, the minimum score for consideration was dropped from 70 to 60 in written exams.
In the beginning of 2016, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Haluk Koç had revealed a long list of names that were favored by the government due to their kinship with leading AKP figures. Nepotism has been a problem in Turkey for decades; yet, under AKP rule it has become even more extensive.