ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on March 30, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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CASTLES KNOCKED OUT BY LIBERAL CANDIDATES
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won municipalities, including the municipalities in southern Antalya, Gaziantep and Hatay and in northwestern Tekirdag provinces which were considered to be the main places where Republican People's Party (CHP) won most of the votes, by liberal candidate mayors. AK Party nominated young chairman of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce named Menderes Turel as the Antalya Mayor. People of Antalya, who were in search of a new mayor, liked Turel thanks to his young and modern wife.
SOLDIERS WILL CONTINUE TO STAY THERE
United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his new and revised Cyprus plan to the parties yesterday. Bi-zonality, political equality and security conditions of Turkish side were accepted in the drafted plan.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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TWO MISTAKES AND TWO LESSONS
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) did not nominate a loved bureaucrat in northern Trabzon province as the Trabzon mayor but that bureaucrat won the local elections in this northern province. In the meantime, the Republican People's Party (CHP) did not nominate a person who was asked by member of his party to run candidacy for local elections in northern province of Ordu. This person resigned from CHP, joined Democratic Left Party (DSP), won the elections and became Ordu Mayor.
BAYKAL ANNOUNCES HIS VICTORY
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal compared the rate of votes his party won in municipal assemblies in the local elections held on Sunday with the rate of votes CHP won in the former local elections held in 1999. Baykal said, ''CHP won 11.8 percent of votes in the municipal assemblies throughout Turkey in 1999. We won 18.2 percent of votes on Sunday. Thus, CHP has increased its votes.''
ANNAN RAISES HOPES
United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan said that demands of Turkish side like bi-zonality, property, political rights and continuation of presence of Turkish soldiers in Cyprus were met at great extent in his revised plan for Cyprus.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal considered results of Sunday's local elections victory. Baykal said, ''we have increased votes in favor of our party and we succeeded in the elections. There is stability in our party. We are ambitious for the general elections.''
ELECTORS OFFENDED BY OPPOSITION
Thirteen million citizens did not cast votes in Sunday's local elections. This number is more than votes won by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and two and a half-times more than that won by the Republican People's Party (CHP). The rate of participation in Sunday's local elections was only 69 percent. This means that 13 million 200 thousand of 43 million 400 thousand electors did not cast their votes in the elections. This rate was 87 percent in the former local elections. Experts commented on this decrease in participation in elections as, ''those who can't find any alternative due to the situation of the opposition party decided not to cast their votes in this elections.''
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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AK PARTY CAN'T REACH ITS TARGET
Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which wanted to win more than 50 percent of votes in Sunday's local elections and strengthen its hand, can't reach its target. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said in February that his party should win more than 50 percent of votes in the local elections held on March 28. AK Party wanted to strengthen its hand for constitutional amendments by winning more than 50 percent of votes in the local elections. But, despite his advantages as the ruling party and despite the support of the press, it could not reach its target and the votes of party stayed around 42 percent. AK Party administration was uneasy about this rate of votes and rise in votes of two important rightist party, namely Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and True Path Party (DYP).
ERDOGAN'S WARNS EU OF ISSUES RELATED WITH PRIMARY LAW
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who spoke to French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, European Commission President Romano Prodi, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George Bush, implied that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) would not call for a referendum on the Annan plan unless the European Union (EU) fulfilled its commitment to adjust to a solution in Cyprus.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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''SINE QUA NON'' CONDITIONS MET ONE BY ONE
The Greek Cypriot side was bewildered by the move of the United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General who attached importance to demands of the Turkish side in his new plan for Cyprus. Turkish soldiers will stay on the island till eternity and derogations will be recognized. The Greek-Greek Cypriot parties are only pleased with the rotating presidency in the drafted Annan plan. Some other changes were also made in the Annan plan. Continuation of presence of Turkish soldiers in the island can be listed among these changes. The Greek Cypriots who will settle in the north of the island after an agreement is reached in the island will not have the right to vote in election of the senate. An agreement to be reached in the island will be the primary European Union (EU) law. The Greek Cypriots can acquire wealth and properties after the national income per capita in the Turkish side becomes equal to 85 percent of that of the Greek Cypriots.
NO NEW LEFTIST ELECTORS!
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had two million new electors in Sunday's local elections while Republican People's Party (CHP) lost 500 thousand electors. Democratic Left Party (DSP) won central Eskisehir province while CHP won northern province of Sinop with only one vote ahead of AK Party. The number of electors rose from 41 million 291 thousand to 43 million 738 thousand between 2002 and 2004. However, rate of participation dropped from 79 to 72 percent. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), True Path Party (DYP) and Felicity Party (FP) increased their votes in Sunday's local elections. Songul Abdil, who was elected mayor in eastern Tunceli province from Social Democrat People's Party (SHP), became the only woman mayor in 81 provinces of Turkey.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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SOLUTION CAN'T BE REACHED WITHOUT EU
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Greek counterpart Costas Caramanlis in Buergenstock, Switzerland. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also participated in the meeting. Prior to his departure for Switzerland to join the quartet Cyprus conference, Erdogan said, ''we have a Cyprus policy aiming at solution. the European Union (EU) should also accept the result reached in the ongoing negotiations. We want a written document not promises. If this issue isn't solved, then all our initiatives will be meaningless.'' Erdogan, who spoke to U.S. President George bush by phone, met with United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan and Greek Prime Minister Caramanlis.
HE IS SITTING AT TABLE STRONGLY
Victory won by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who went to Switzerland to solve the Cyprus issue, in the local elections had repercussions in the world. International news commented that results of local elections in Turkey strengthened Prime Minister Erdogan's hand on continuation of reforms and Cyprus.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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EU PROMISES FOR MAKING AGREEMENT ON CYPRUS BASIC EU LAW
United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his revised plan for Cyprus consisted of 9 thousand pages, including the annexes, to the parties in Switzerland. Annan said that both sides would benefit from the new plan. Turkish side considers the draft positive in regard to issues like security, guarantees and political equality. The Greek Cypriots who have not said anything about the draft yet are uneasy while the European Union (EU) paved the way for ratification of a possible agreement to be reached on Cyprus in parliaments of EU members, a process which will make the agreement on Cyprus the basic EU law.
DEMOCRATIZATION STEPS OF GOVERNMENT DEFEATS DEHAP IN PROVINCES EARLY WIN BY THIS PARTY
Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) was bewildered as the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won great victory in eastern and southeastern provinces in Sunday's local elections. DEHAP, which aimed to win 15 municipalities, only won the local elections in five provinces. Experts think that DEHAP, which has promised democratization in the region for years, has lost power due to democratization steps taken by the ruling party.
(BRC-AY) 30.03.2004