Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek, who has not been nominated for member of parliament by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) for the elections on June 24, tweeted his views on the decision, adding party’s slogan, “Carry on; there’s no stopping.”
“I congratulate and wish good luck to our party’s nominees who were carefully selected for membership in the 27th Parliament,” Şimşek wrote.
He has been a member of parliament since 2007.
Şimşek, a former Merrill Lynch London economist and strategist, joined the AKP’s economy team in 2006. The government offered him the position of vice governor of the central bank; however, then-President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed the nomination.
He was appointed finance minister in 2009.
Şimşek has recently become a controversial figure for top AKP management since both President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım publicly criticized his remarks on the current condition of the Turkish economy without mentioning him by name.
Şimşek urged business leaders in a March meeting to avoid borrowing money in foreign currencies due to financial vulnerabilities around the world.
According to a T24 news website report, in April he submitted a letter of resignation following Erdoğan’s criticism; however, it was not accepted.
If Erdoğan wins the presidential election, Şimşek could possibly be named a minister in his cabinet since the newly introduced executive presidency allows the president to select ministers from outside Parliament.