Erdoğan's former advisor reveals how many people work at the Palace
Journalist İlnur Çevik, who served as chief advisor to AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a period, shared some of the events he witnessed at the Palace during his 7-year tenure.
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AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor for 7 years, journalist İlnur Çevik, recounted his experiences during his tenure to T24’s Nursun Erel. Çevik stated that approximately 7 thousand people work at the Palace in Beştepe.
When asked whether there is a hospital for the President in the basement of the Palace, he replied: “There is an operating room, but that idea developed after Turgut Özal’s sudden death. Actually, wouldn't there be a hospital in a place where 7 thousand people work?”
During the term of the 10th President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the staff count at the Çankaya Mansion was around 800. It had previously been reported in the press that when his term ended, this number was reduced to approximately 400, effectively halved.
“GET HER MARRIED”
Çevik also shared an interesting memory from a meeting he attended with Erdoğan at the Palace:
“The President asked everyone, ‘How many children do you have?’ I said, ‘I have five daughters.’ When it came to Gülnur Aybet, she said, ‘I am not married.’ The President turned to us and said, ‘Get her married.’ That day was the first and last time we saw her; she never attended a meeting again.”
“THIS SYSTEM DID NOT WORK”
Offering criticisms regarding the Presidential Government System, İlnur Çevik expressed that the system did not function as expected with the following words:
“This system did not work. It is essential for Erdoğan to take Turkey to elections as soon as possible and put the system back on track. He must take Turkey to elections; this needs to be done within 2 years at the latest, otherwise, oh dear!”
IS THERE A MUSTACHE REQUIREMENT AT THE PALACE?
Implying that Erdoğan can be obsessive about certain issues, Çevik also shared a striking detail regarding the etiquette at the Palace as follows:
“There is also a mustache obsession at the Palace, just like that. There is no man without a mustache at the Külliye. There was no one other than me. I had undergone chemotherapy, so my mustache wasn't growing. It happened in front of me many times; he (the President) said, ‘A mustache must be grown.’ Even Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had to grow a mustache. Hasan Doğan also grew a mustache.”