HURRIYET- Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on the political chaos prevailing in Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:
We are in an atmosphere of chaos. The acting speaker yesterday said that the Parliament would convene on Oct. 1, when the new legislative year is to begin. However, there is also the decision to hold general elections on Nov. 3. What would happen if Parliament, after convening on Oct. 1, decides to revisit its election date decision? Our colleagues asked former Deputy Parliament Speaker from the Democratic Left Party (DSP) Uluc Gurkan about this issue. He said that Parliament had settled on an election date. However, the deputy candidates lists will be finalized on Sept. 11, and deputies who don’t see their names on the lists might try to go back on the early elections decision to protect themselves. This important possibility must be considered. More than likely Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller, who are all in favor of holding elections on Nov. 3, will find a solution to this problem. The first chaos centers on this issue. However, there are many more: For example, without changing the Political Parties and Elections Laws, the elections clock has already begun to tick. In addition, on the one hand, there is the ‘alliance of leftist parties’ and on the other hand, New Turkey (YT) leader Ismail Cem’s announcement that he had agreed to an alliance with Democratic Left Party (DTP) leader Mehmet Ali Bayar. There is also the rumor that the Eurasia Party (AP), whose leader Husnu Dogan is known to be a conservative rightist, will join them. No one knows why but the value of Dogan’s party, whose numerical membership is even unclear, has increased. Why does no one ask what program Cem, Bayar and Dogan will present to the voters as partners? The Motherland Party’s (ANAP) problem child, Erkan Mumcu, also found a couple of like-minded friends and he is also searching for an alliance. When speaking of chaos, one cannot neglect to mention the situation of those who left their own parties and joined other ones in order to protect their positions in elections. They have closed the old door behind them. In their new parties, the showy words used by their new leaders have been forgotten. Do they think they are clever and those in the parties’ provincial organizations are fools? As a matter of fact, they neither receive the acclaim they think they deserve at the parties’ headquarters, nor are they well received by the provincial organizations. (There is some good in this, since there must be a price for pulling the wool over people’s eyes.) We shouldn’t worry. Democracy doesn’t settle without first being shaken.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION