SEZER TO MEET SCHROEDER IN LEADUP TO COPENHAGEN
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is scheduled to travel to Germany on Nov. 27 in the leadup to the European Union’s Copenhagen summit set to be held on Dec. 12-13. Sezer is expected to meet with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and reiterate to him that Turkey is the only EU candidate country whose situation remains uncertain, and that Turkey expects a constructive attitude on Germany’s part at the summit. /Cumhuriyet/
AKP WINS 363-SEAT MAJORITY IN PARLIAMENT
In results of Sunday’s elections set to soon become official, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) scored a landslide victory, capturing 363 seats in Turkey’s 550-seat Parliament. The party is preparing to take power after winning a majority in the polls -- the first time in 15 years that any party has been in a position to govern alone. The only other party that won seats in the elections was the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which will have 178 deputies as the opposition party. Nine independent candidates also won seats in the elections, while the 16 other parties participating in the polls remained below the 10 percent threshold needed to enter Parliament. /All papers/
ECEVIT TENDERS HIS RESIGNATION TO THE PRESIDENT
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday presented his Cabinet’s resignation to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Sezer then asked Ecevit to continue to fulfill his duties until a new government officially takes office. Before leaving the Cankaya Presidential Palace, Ecevit told reporters that he and the current Cabinet would serve until the formation of a new government. Answering journalists’ questions, Ecevit said that his government had erred in failing to lower the 10% elections threshold. Ecevit’s Democratic Left Party (DSP) failed to meet the threshold, as did 16 of the 18 parties competing in Sunday’s elections. Regarding the initial statements of Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan following his party’s election victory, Ecevit stated that Erdogan had spoken carefully but in a way that was as yet unclear. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN: “OUR AIM TO DEVELOP TURKEY FURTHER”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of Sunday’s election winner the Justice and Development Party (AKP), yesterday received foreign journalists at his party’s Ankara headquarters. Answering reporters’ questions about his party’s stance towards the military, Erdogan said, “The Republic of Turkey is a secular, democratic and social state ruled by the law. Every institution’s duties and authority are clearly laid out in the Constitution.” The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are also our force and nobody should try to come between us, stated Erdogan. Reiterating that his party was not “centered on religion,” Erdogan said that its policies during its term in power would prove this. “Our aim to develop Turkey further,” he added. He also stressed that his party placed great importance on Turkey’s European Union membership bid. “We will do whatever we can to get a date for membership talks at the EU’s Copenhagen summit next month,” said Erdogan. He also stated that in one or two weeks, he would pay a visit to Greece at the invitation of Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis. Meanwhile, Vittorio Surdo, Italy’s ambassador to Turkey, yesterday visited Erdogan to congratulate him on his party’s success in the elections. Surdo was the first foreign representative to pay Erdogan a visit. /Turkiye/
DERVIS: “THE ERA OF FRAGMENTED POLITICS HAS ENDED”
Asked yesterday by reporters to comment the results of Sunday’s general elections, incoming Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Kemal Dervis said that perhaps what Turkey had long needed was a two-party system, adding that its fragmented political structure had now came to an end. “In this new political climate, a harmonious government may be able to carry out its policies on firmer ground,” Dervis stated. “If the new government works well, Turkey will benefit greatly from this.” /Cumhuriyet/
LEADERS OF DEFEATED PARTIES TO GIVE UP POWER
After their respective parties’ defeats in Sunday’s general elections, the leaders of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP) have all declared that they will step down and quit active politics. Following the lead of MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, who declared his decision to step down just after preliminary election results were released, ANAP leader Mesut Yilmaz and DYP leader Tansu Ciller yesterday did the same. At a press conference, Yilmaz said, “The ANAP needs to be restructured. To gave the party the space to do this, I’ll step down from the party’s leadership, and I have furthermore decided to leave active political life.” Stressing that a new era had begun in Turkish politics with the elections, Yilmaz remarked that the center-right also needed to go through a restructuring process. He also expressed his pleasure that the winning Justice and Development Party (AKP) had declared it would give priority to Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Meanwhile, in a written statement, DYP leader Tansu Ciller yesterday also declared her decision to convene a party congress and not to stand for its leadership again. /Turkiye/
WHEELS IN MOTION TOWARDS POST-ELECTION GOVERNMENT
Following the Supreme Election Board’s (YSK) declaration of the official results OF Sunday’s elections, expected soon, the wheels will begin turning in earnest towards the formation of a new government. Under the Constitution and Parliament’s regulations, on the fifth day after the YSK’s declaration Parliament will convene chaired by Sukru Elekdag, who will be the oldest deputy serving in Parliament. During this session, the 550 new deputies will take their oaths of office, and five days later a new Parliament speaker will be elected and the Parliament Speakership Council will be formed. Then, after the President appoints a deputy to establish a new government, the process of forming this government is to begin. Once a new cabinet list is submitted to the president and it receives his approval, seven days later a vote of confidence will be held in Parliament. If the deputy appointed by the president is unable to establish a government within 45 days, the Constitution mandates that a new round of elections be held. /Turkiye/
BAYKAL, AKP LEADER ERDOGAN TO MEET
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of Sunday’s election winner the Justice and Development Party (AKP), is set to meet today with Deniz Baykal, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP). The AKP and the CHP will be the sole parties in Turkey’s new Parliament, the former with a near two-thirds majority, the latter as the opposition, a role Baykal has promised to fill “responsibly.” During their meeting, Erdogan and Baykal will reportedly discuss the election results and recent developments in Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Erdogan will also reportedly brief Baykal on the visit he has promised too soon pay to Greece. /Milliyet/
EU COMMISSION: “THE NEW GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONTINUE TURKEY’S POLITICAL REFORMS”
Addressing the results of Turkey’s general elections on Sunday, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said yesterday that the new government to be formed should continue the process of carrying out political reforms. Verheugen also stated that the election results would be a test as to whether a Muslim democratic party in a Muslim country could take a similar role to those of Europe’s Christian democratic parties, adding that the issue of religion should not cast a shadow on the political reforms that Turkey had to pursue for its EU membership. “This represents a tremendous opportunity to see if Turkey will be able to incorporate a democratic party based on religious grounds,” Verheugen added. In related news, EU Commission Spokesman Jean-Christophe Filori said that the commission had taken note of the results of the elections in Turkey and that it was ready to cooperate with the new government. “We have seen that the two parties set to be represented in Parliament have both pledged to take a pro-EU stance,” Filori added. “The EU Commission will continue to watch Turkey’s steps closely.” /Hurriyet/
IMF: “WE ARE READY TO WORK WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT”
International Monetary Fund Spokesman Conny Lotze and IMF Representative to Turkey Odd Per Brekk declared yesterday that the IMF was ready to work with the new government set to be formed in the wake of Sunday’s elections. Lotze said that the IMF welcomed the victorious Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) stated pledge to support Turkey’s current economic program. Brekk said that the IMF would be pleased to coperate with the AKP. “We are waiting to be invited by the new government after it comes into office in order to continue our contacts,” addded Brekk. “We are pleased that Turkey’s political uncertainty has been brought to an end through this week’s early elections.” In related news, the World Bank issued a written statement saying that results of the elections were positive and had set the nation on track to greater economic stability. /Milliyet/
TUSIAD: “THE AKP SHOULD EXPLAIN ITSELF TO THE EU MEMBER STATES”
Appearing on television yesterday, Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan congratulated the victorious Justice and Development Party (AKP), calling it the only winner of Sunday’s elections. The AKP’s margin of victory has put it on track to become Turkey’s first one-party government in over a decade. Ozilhan further stated that the new government should take important steps before December’s European Union summit in Copenhagen and should also start to implement the EU harmonization laws which Parliament passed this summer. “Two issues the AKP government should give priority to are the economic program and Turkey’s EU membership bid,” added Ozilhan. “The AKP should respect the basic principles of the republic.” Ozilhan also remarked that the EU member states were curious about the AKP’s conception of Islam, so it needed to explain itself well. A delegation of TUSIAD members will meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi tomorrow in order to secure Italy’s support for Turkey’s EU membership bid. /Milliyet/
S&P: “NO MAJOR ECONOMIC POLICY CHANGE IN TURKEY IS EXPECTED”
Turkey’s newly elected government is expected to continue the market-friendly economic policies of the outgoing government, said international credit rating institution Standard & Poors Rating Services yesterday. S&P also stated that Turkey’s credit rating largely hinged on the new government’s policy stance and its willingness to implement its policies. Turkey’s ratings have been constrained “by a fragmented political environment, in which personality-driven politics and short-run positioning frequently limit attempts to implement policies conducive to sustainable and more equitable growth,” said S&P’s Marie Cavanaugh. “We hope that the new government to be formed will rigorously continue to implement the ongoing economic policies.” /Hurriyet/
TWO OFFICERS LOST IN IZMIT HELICOPTER CRASH
A military helicopter crashed yesterday during a training flight in Izmit’s Esme district, going down into Lake Sapanca. Two non-commissioned officers, Mustafa Serbest and Hakan Sagiroglu, survived and were rescued, but Cpts. Zafer Dilbaz and Hakan Imamoglu were both lost in the crash. /Milliyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION