MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the Democratic Left Party’s (DSP) stance towards election postponement efforts. A summary of his column is as follows:
The world of politics is now focused on tomorrow, Oct. 1. Will Parliament open and then again go on recess, in line with its decision to hold elections on Nov. 3, or will it stay open through the efforts of disgruntled deputies? And if it remains open, will it decide to delay the elections? It’s commonly believed that the Democratic Left Party (DSP) will play the key role in answering these questions. It’s known that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was originally against the early elections but now feels that delaying them at this stage would be a mistake. Will Ecevit change his mind? Appearing on CNN Turk, Ecevit said that imposing a group decision for the DSP’s deputies wouldn’t be necessary, which seemed to give hope to the disgruntled deputies seeking postponement. But it would be wrong to interpret Ecevit here as meaning that the DSP deputies might support the disgruntled deputies. Ecevit meant that there’s ‘even’ no need for a group decision to make sure the DSP deputies follow the party line in opposing postponement efforts. Our conversations with DSP deputies show that there’s been no change in the stance of the party or the deputies. True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller thinks that it would be still more convincing if Ecevit enforced a group decision. Speaking with her yesterday, she told me as much, adding, ‘We’re going to make a DYP group decision on Monday, and the DSP would do well to do the same.’ However, the DSP rank-and-file consider this unnecessary. DSP brass emphasize that the party isn’t sitting on the fence on this issue. They point out that the DSP isn’t represented among the disgruntled deputies, excepting only Zonguldak Deputy Omer Ustunkol, who was left off its candidate list. They have no doubt that DSP deputies will vote against any postponement, and stress that the disgruntled deputies shouldn’t pin their hopes on the DSP. For, they say, this would be in vain.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION