ANKARA - Following are the highlights from today`s Turkish daily Sabah. The Anadolu Agency is not responsible of opinions expressed or the context of the editorials and does not vouch for their accuracy.
-ACCORDING TO SEZER, ERDOGAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENCY-
"While discussions continue whether Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will run for presidency or not, his predecessor`s opinion is quite clear," says Muharrem Sarikaya, one of columnists of the Sabah daily.
"With predecessor, we mean President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. According to Sezer`s point of view, Erdogan will run for presidency. Moreover, he does not refrain from explaining his view clearly," Sarikaya says.
Sarikaya quotes those who visited President Sezer recently as saying, "President Sezer believes that Erdogan will become a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections. He thinks that Erdogan did not see any other alternatives except for running for presidency. According to Sezer, Erdogan does not consider it likely to name another candidate for presidency and support him. He says, `Erdogan is determined to become the next president of Turkey`."
"Last year, President Sezer received Independent Republic Party (BCP) leader Prof. Dr. Mumtaz Soysal two days before beginning of the new legislative year on October 1st, and told him the same thing. We gave place to President Sezer`s prediction in this column on October 1st, 2006," he reminds.
Sarikaya concludes, "although there are some different views about Erdogan`s candidacy, the ruling Justice & Development Party (AKP) members have already accepted this possibility. Furthermore, an important part of MPs believe that Erdogan would run for presidency despite recent calls of Republican People`s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal to Erdogan not to become a candidate."