ANKARA - Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has stated that his party had not made any attempts to postpone the elections.
Speaking at a press conference before ANAP Central Decision and Executive Council (MKYK) meeting on Monday, Yilmaz said that he believed that the political instability would continue until the elections.
Yilmaz announced that his party was ready to do its best to bring stability to Turkish politics.
Stating that the ANAP would become victorious after the elections on Nov. 3, 2002, Yilmaz said ''Because we represent the Turkish nation's need for modernization. No barriers can stand against this need. The ANAP will not have any problem reaching the threshold as long as people's desire for modernization continues''. He said that people would act with common sense, realize that the ANAP is an essential political party for Turkey and vote for his party.
Commenting on True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller's recent remarks that she was offered prime ministry on the condition that the elections would be postponed, Yilmaz said: ''the truth of the matter is that Mrs Ciller many times expressed to the public her willingness to be the prime minister. The proposal envisaging a government under the leadership of Ciller has been asked to us through several mediators. We have conveyed her from the same canals why this would not be possible. There is not any dialogue or meeting apart from this. As ANAP, we have not launched any initiative to postpone November 3 elections.''
Yilmaz said the government would not be able to stay in power after November 3 elections, and that this had two reasons. Speaking about those two reasons, Yilmaz said first of all the government did not have majority in the parliament, and the confidence crisis created in the government because of the statement of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli regarding all parties, including ANAP, as equal with the PKK.
Stressing that this government was ''an election government'' Yilmaz said continuation of the government would bring burden on economy. He said the government which lost harmonization lost capability of making exports.
Yilmaz said they continued preparations for November 3 elections, and noted that they did not think of postponing elections.
He said they would not have any efforts on artificial government models, adding that, ''the target for us is to reach success again on November 3.''