Turkey's economy has shown signs of slowing since April and will decelerate further in the second half, with the government ready to do what is needed to ensure a soft landing, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Wednesday. Speaking just days before a parliamentary election, Simsek said the government could tighten fiscal policy further to counter a growing current account deficit.
Investors see victory for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK party in Sunday's vote as virtually a foregone conclusion, leaving only the size of the majority in question. Growth notched 8.9 percent in 2010 and was running at 9 percent year on year in the first quarter.