With both a presidential vote scheduled for May 2007 and parliamentary elections due in November, Türkiye faces a year that could reshape its political landscape through 2014. The prospect of electing a new president, prime minister, and government within a single calendar year has put domestic and international observers on alert.
Analysts and foreign financial interests alike are paying close attention. London-based financial analysts recently visited Ankara to assess the electoral outlook, meeting with at least one opposition party leader, according to columnist Ismail Kucukkaya writing in Aksam.
Given Türkiye's influence on regional and global affairs, the outcomes carry weight well beyond its borders, touching on relations with the European Union, the United States, and the broader Middle East.
Some commentators have raised the possibility of a consensus approach to the presidential selection, drawing a parallel to the appointment of Gen. Yasar Buyukanit as chief of general staff through broad agreement earlier in 2006. Columnist Mehmet Barlas posed the question of why the same cooperative process could not apply to choosing a president, a notion Kucukkaya said he found credible given the current mood in Ankara.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.