Babacan part of economy team: Report

Two high-ranking officials in Ankara told Reuters Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan will stay on in at least an advisory role to Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, if the Justice and Development Party (AKP) forms the next government.

"There's absolutely no doubt Babacan will be part of the economic team. There's no title in place for now, but he'll work closely with Davuto?lu either as a key advisor in charge of the economy or another position," one of the officials said.

For many foreign investors, the key election question is the future of Babacan, the 48-year-old Fulbright scholar and Northwestern University MBA long seen as an anchor of investor confidence.

Babacan, in charge of the economy for much of the AKP's 13 years in power, is prevented from standing for re-election because of the party's three-term limit.

Finance Minister Mehmet ?im?ek is also expected to retain a position, while ?brahim Turhan, a former deputy central bank governor and ex-chairman of the Istanbul stock exchange, is seen as a potential member.

Turhan was among a delegation that went to New York in March in an attempt to calm investors' concerns after Erdogan's criticism of the central bank, equating high interest rates with treason, exacerbated a sell-off in the lira.

Keeping Babacan and ?im?ek in the economic team would reassure foreign investors and be positive for the currency, at least in the short term, said Vedat Mizrahi, a managing director at financial services firm Ünlü & Co.

Turkey has enjoyed years of breathtaking growth under the AKP. In 2002, per capita GDP averaged $3,600, just ahead of Equatorial Guinea. By 2013 it had trebled to $11,000, higher than Malaysia. With annual output of more than $800 billion,...