President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday promoted Turkey's army commander to overall armed forces chief in a radical military shake-up after the outgoing top general was given the post of defense minister under the new executive presidential system he had long campaigned for.
Turkey's new government announced late on Monday the appointment of former chief of staff General Hulusi Akar as defense minister, a rare transition from military ranks to the political realm.
Erdogan then appointed ground forces commander General Yasar Guler as chief of staff by presidential decree published in the official gazette.
With more than 900,000 active personnel, Turkey has the second largest force in NATO after the United States which has almost 1.5 million.
Erdogan also named his son-in-law Berat Albayrak as treasury and finance minister. Albayrak, 40, previously served as energy minister and, before that, led a company seen as close to the government.
His appointment - and the absence of familiar, market-friendly ministers from the cabinet - has helped send the lira sharply lower. Erdogan has said the powerful executive presidency is vital to driving economic growth and to ensure security after a failed 2016 military coup.
Erdogan was sworn in Monday for a second presidential term under a controversial new system that will centralize all institutions, including the army, under the presidency.
