Turkey's Babacan wants private sector return after election - paper

Babacan and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek are highly regarded by investors for guiding the economy through a period of unprecedented growth, and their political futures have been a concern for financial markets.

Their AK Party has a three-term limit on members running for parliament, which could exclude Babacan after the 2015 vote. He could still serve as a minister without being in parliament but he said this would be "very exceptional".

"If it is my free will, I would like to return to the private sector," he said in a interview with the Nikkei business daily in Japan.

"However, I have learned during 12 years in politics ... that it's ultimately circumstances which are directing outcomes. Hence, I do not want to speak in deterministic terms on what is going to happen next year after elections," he said.

Babacan has retained overall responsibility for the economy in a new cabinet under Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who took over as head of government at the end of August after his predecessor Tayyip Erdogan won a presidential election.

His reappointment eased concerns of a turf war in government, after some analysts feared he could be sidelined. Simsek also retained his post in the new government.

(Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Hugh Lawson)