Vice-Minister Constituted by the Decree Numbered 643 and its Hierarchical Status

The authorization bill numbered 6223 which authorize the Cabinet to release decree on the organization of ministries and civil servants, has been accepted in April 6, 2011 and has been entered into force by its publishment in the Official Gazette in the 3rd of May. Cabinet has established 35 decrees by utilizing the Authorization Bill in 6 months time. Basic mode of functioning and organizational structure of the ministries has been severely changed with the decrees. The severe change in the current organizational charts of the ministries has been subject to many quarrels, in fact the quarrels has been fired by the newly added mechanisms. One of the most questionable subject of the newly added mechanisms is vice-mininsters, newly established status with the Decree numbered 643. It is argued that even if the vice-ministers is declared to be placed between the Minister and the Deputy Secretary in the organizational chart, the status of the viceministers in the organizational hierarchy is still in question. This study aims to analyze the vice-ministers in terms of their organizational role by considering their founding law and its historical development in Turkey. By the help of the analysis, the hierarchical role of vice-ministers is tried to be clarified.