Erdogan: We Will Take Decision Of Higher Election Board To E.C.H.R.

ANKARA - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that they would take the Higher Election Board's (HEB) decision that banned Erdogan to be a member of the parliament, to European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Erdogan attended a program on private CNN Turk television channel on Friday.
When asked whether or not he would go to ECHR for HEB's decision that prohibited him from being a deputy candidate, Erdogan said that they would go to the European court.
Erdogan said that he talked with his lawyers on the decision of HEB and added that they would apply to ECHR and they had also applied to the court related to the decision of the eighth Chamber of Supreme Court of Appeals.
He said that they voted for the amendment in the Constitution at the parliament.
He went on to say that the European Union (EU) would ask for the implementations of the amendments which Turkey made on the Article 312 of Turkish Penal Code (TPC) at the EU Summits which would be held on October 25, 2002 and December 12, 2002.
When recalled he would not be prime minister in case the AK Party came into power and asked who could be prime minister from his party, Erdogan said that his party had collective mind understanding. He said that their officials would give the decision on that issue when they got the result which they were expecting from the elections and added that they had no such a problem.
Erdogan said that they wanted the elections to be held on November 3 in spite of the HEB's decision about him and added that they did not consider the efforts to postpone the elections ethical. He stated that he would continue his struggle outside the parliament.
When asked what will he do as he has to resign both from his post as Ak Party leader and founding member, Erdogan said that he was only asked to leave his post as founding member, adding that the request to put precautionary measure for his leadership has been rejected. ''We don't have any problem about our leadership,'' said Erdogan and noted that ''I can still be the leader of my party, there is no obstacle for that.''
Upon a question about a possible cooperation between CHP and AK Party after the elections, Erdogan said that the protocol of the coalition is very important. Erdogan stressed that Turkey has to prove its culture of compromise, adding that he always respected CHP leaer Deniz Baykal and that he had dialogue with him in the past.
''This country is ours, we will do something together in this country. There is no meaning in declaring ourselves as enemies of each other. If such a coalition with CHP is necessary, we will do our protocol to serve the country,'' Erdogan stressed.
Erdogan noted that AK Party is not biased against any party, adding that yet AK Party will firstly prefer rightist parties to make a coalition.
Upon a question, Erdogan said that they describe their party as ''conservative democrat.'' Erdogan remarked that AK Party wants Turkey to join the EU.