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Turkish Press Review, 99-04-19Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>19.04.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] PRIVATE SECTOR HAS A NUMBER OF EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW GOVERNMENT[02] FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS[03] DSP-MHP WINDAt the end of the General Election held yesterday in Turkey the Democratic Left Party (DSP), led by Bulent Ecevit and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) chaired by Devlet Bahceli increased their votes, whereas the Virtue Party (RP) chaired by Recai Kutan the True Path Party (DYP) chaired by Tansu Ciller, the Motherland Party (ANAP) chaired by Mesut Yilmaz and the Republican People's Party (CHP) chaired by Deniz Baykal lost votes in general.The DSP become the majority party obtaining 23 % of the votes throughout Turkey. It increased its votes by 9 % compared to the 1995 General Election. The party obtained successful results especially in the metropolitan areas, Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Izmir in particular. The MHP came second, with 17 % of the votes; compared with the 1995 Election there has been a great blow to the votes of the MHP. It seems that the MHP will be the key party in the new coalition government to be established. Also, the MHP has got enough votes the have the most MPs in Parliament. Milliyet newspaper evaluated the successes of the two parties as follows; the DSP obtained the majority as Ecevit was a modest, honest, compromising statesman respectful of religion. He also had the advantage of the event of Abdullah Ocalan's capture. On the other hand, Bahceli removed the radical appearance of the party after he became the leader and seemed humiliated; he was the leader of criticism against the PKK. There has been a serious drop in the votes of the Virtue Party; it has only got 14 % of the votes whereas it held 21 % of them in the 1995 Election. RP leader Recai Kutan announced before the Election that he would leave the party leadership if there was a 3 % decrease in the number of votes. Great disappointment has been felt in ANAP. It came only fourth by getting 15 % of the votes which was 19 % in the 1995 Election. DYP has only got 11 % percent of the votes and came fifth; the party has had unsuccessful results especially in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. One of the surprising results was the votes obtained by the CHP. Getting only 8 % percent of the votes, the party could not jump over the threshold of 10 %and so it will not send any MPs to sit in Parliament. Regarding the municipal election, it seems that DSP candidate Ahmet Pristina will win the elections. In Istanbul, according to recent results it is highly probable that RP candidate Ahmet M. Gurtuna will win and in Ankara there has been a great struggle between the RP candidate, Melih Gokcek, and CHP candidate Murat Karayalcin. /Milliyet/Sabah/ [04] FOREIGN PRESS FOLLOW THE ELECTIONSThe world press agencies followed yesterday's General Election very closely, reporting that there was a high level of voter participation in the elections.The Associated Press reported that there would be a coalation government by the end of the Election. It noted, "There was intense voter participation in the Election. Turkish citizens formed queues in front of the ballot boxes. It has been expected that Bulent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party (DSP) would obtain the most votes at the end of the Election. However, none of the parties will have a large enough to establish a government and it seems that the likely outcome will be a coalition government." The 'Agence France' reported that the great majority of citizens in Turkey went to the ballot boxes. It said, "The participation rate was higher than in recent years. According to recent opinion polls, Ecevit's DSP will be the largest party." The BBC broadcasted that there was a significant level of voter participation in the elections, held to maintain economic and political stability in the country. It noted, "The Turkish nation's support of DSP leader Bulent Ecevit has greatly increased since the capture of Ocalan. And Ecevit promised his nation before the Elctions that he would maintain the much-needed stability in Turkey." CNN broadcasted that there had been a serious increase in the number of votes of the MHP, predicting that the DSP would come first and the RP would be third in the rankings at the end of the Election. /Sabah/ [05] DEMIREL'S INTENSE SCHEDULE IN THE USDuring his visit to Washington between April 22 and 25, President Suleyman Demirel will not only take part in the NATO meetings marking the Alliance's 50th anniversary, but he will also have bilateral talks with the Heads of State and governments of other countries and deliver speeches to various institutions, reported the Anatolia News Agency. Demirel is expected to receive an honorary Ph.D. from Pittsburgh University and to speak to academic circles. He is also scheduled to give a speech at the Eisenhower Foundation in Philadelphia and the Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policy. Demirel will have talks with members of the American-Turkish Council to discuss improving trade and business ties between the two countries. Demirel will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Defence Minister Hikmet Sami Turk during his trip to New York.[06] NATO SQUADRON IN TURKEYIt has been claimed that NATO, which continues unabated with its air strikes against Yugoslavia, is preparing to include Turkish aircraft to depart from Turkey into the field of operations. The Head of the Bulgarian Atlantic Club, Solomon Pasi, noted that NATO wanted Bulgaria to open its airspace to the Allied powers and said: "NATO wants to deploy one or more squadrons in Turkey. Aircraft from this squadron will pass through Bulgaria and participate in the air strikes against Yugoslavia". Pasi stated that NATO was planning to establish an air base in Thrace, Turkey; aircraft to depart from this base would destroy targets in Eastern Yugoslavia. /Aksam/[07] TURKISH FLAG IN THE ADRIATICTCG Kocatepe has taken over the duty of the destroyer TCG Muavenet in the Adriatic. Turkish marines are performing an active role within the NATO Permanent Naval Forces in the Mediterranean (Stanavformed). The Kocatepe took over the duties of the Muavenet in a ceremony held in the port of Deposito Franco, Bari. The warships of eight NATO countries forming Stanavformed, commanded by US Admiral David Stone, are playing a deterrent role. /Milliyet/[08] MILLER: "NATO SUMMIT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ATHENS AND ANKARA"The US State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus, Thomas Miller, said that a NATO summit to be held in Washington would be a great opportunity for Turkish and Greek leaders to resolve the problems between these two countries. Miller said: "It is very beneficial for the two leaders to convene and discuss the problems between Turkey and Greece". Miller made a statement to the Greek Kathimerini newspaper and noted that the two countries were making every effort to ease the tension which had increased dramatically following the capture of PKK Cheif Abdullah Ocalan. Miller added: "I believe the two countries have realized that they should live together in peace". Miller concluded that the Cyprus problem could be resolved through negotiations; the US is striving towards this goal. /Cumhuriyet/[09] TERROR HITS LONDONFollowing an explosion in a supermarket in Brixton, London 48 people were found to have been wounded. Officials announced that devices set by the IRA (Irish Republican Army) were always announced five minutes before the incident, so this bomb was not that of the IRA. They added Serbs might be responsible for the incident; in order to retaliate against the NATO operation in Kosovo, it might have been a Serbian reaction against Britain, which is one of the founders of NATO. /Hurriyet/Turkiye/Yeni Yuzyil_[10] NEW CYPRUS PLAN FROM USThe Greek Cypriot Leader Glafkos Klerides has suggested that the US is preparing new scenarios on all the dimensions of the Cyprus issue and these will be put on the table in the near future. Klerides made a statement to the Greek Cypriot Fileleftheros newspaper and said that the US and Britain were aiming to hold lengthy meetings on this subject and they wanted these meetings to be held somewhere in New York attended by the UN Secretary-General. /Cumhuriyet/[11] NEW AGREEMENTS FOR BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE ARE ON THE WAYFollowing the Istanbul Protocol which was signed last week and is considered a very significant development in the realization of the Baku Ceyhan Pipeline project, thorough deliberations on two newly-added agreements will start this week. It is reported that the drafts prepared by the Azeri Oil Operation Company (AIOC) for two new agreements entitled `Government Guarantee' and `Turn-Key Job' Agreements will be debated by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and the AIOC officials in Istanbul. These two drafts, which have been added to the `Home Country' and `Transit Country' Agreement drafts due to a change at the last minute, will strengthen the position of Turkey within the Project. Accordingly, Turkey's response to the AIOC's request that the $3 billion cost be lowered has considerably changed the path of the discussions and the character of the project. With regard to these new agreements, Ziya Aktas, the Eenrgy Minister, said, "During the meetings held since January, the AIOC declared that it would prepare additional drafts. In February, it requested that Turkey lower the cost. In turn, we replied that we may lower the cost only on the condition that we will be influential in the construction of the pipeline. Thus, we have to control the price." /Hurriyet/[12] SEA STAR '99One of the planned exercises by the Turkish Naval Forces, "Sea Star-99", begins today. The exercise, which will last until May 3, will be held in the Marmara and Black Seas. A naval police aircraft from Pakistan will also take part in the exercise, according to a statement made by the General Secretariat of the Naval Forces Command. In addition to Turkish ports, Varna in Bulgaria and Constanta in Romania will be visited on April 23-26; the ports of Poti in Georgia and Batum in Georgia will be visited on April 29-May 1. It is also planned that observers from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Pakistan and Bulgaria will follow the exercise. /Turkiye/[13] PKK KILLS FOUR PEOPLEMembers of the PKK terrorist organization attacked officials who were in charge of the ballot boxes in the Hafik district of Sivas yesterday and killed two of them. During the attack, two Turkish soldiers were also killed and four people were wounded. In the same district, PKK terrorists also carried out an attack against a military vehicle and wounded three Turkish soldiers; security forces have launched a wide-ranging operation in the region. /Aksam/[14] OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQDuring operations carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces against the PKK terrorist organization in Northern Iraq, 15 terrorists were killed yesterday. Thus the number of terrorists killed since the beginning of the operations has reached 59. Meanwhile, during operations carried out in Southeastern Anatolia, 10 terrorists were killed in Bingol, Sirnak, Silopi and Tunceli. While two terrorists were captured, one terrorist surrendered to Turkish security forces, according to a statement made by the Emergency Rule Region. Officials noted that operations in search of terrorists were on-going. Meanwhile, it was revealed that the terrorists who were killed in Bingol were planning to sabotage the General and Local Elections yesterday; hand-grenades were found on the bodies of the terrorists. /Aksam/[15] PKK ATTACKS IN TOKATDuring an attack against a Nationalist Action Party (MHP) convoy in the Niksar district of Tokat yesterday, five people were wounded. Security forces, who note that the attack was probably carried out by members of the PKK terrorist organization, launched a far-reaching search of the region. /Turkiye/[16] CONFLICT BETWEEN PKK AND DHKP-CCooperation between the PKK terrorist organization and the illegal DHKP-C organization has dissolved due to the problems which occured following the capture of PKK Chief Abdullah Ocalan. It is reported that disagreements between these two organizations have turned to conflicts between their supporters in Turkey and Britain.Meanwhile, an analysis on terrorist activities in Turkey since Ocalan's capture has been made by members of the Anti-Terrorism Department. The analysis noted that terrorist activities were undertaken by people with psychological problems or drug-addictions. /Aksam/ [17] PRIVATE SECTOR HAS A NUMBER OF EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW GOVERNMENTWhile Turkey is entering a new period due to the General Elections held yesterday, the private sector has a number of expectations with regard to the new government, regardless of which parties will be part of it. In this respect, the Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association (TUSIAD) demands that the new Parliament enact the required economic, social and administrative reform bills as soon as possible. The Istanbul Trade and Commerce Chamber (ITO) wants a radical restructuring of the Tax Law and the Customs Law, and certain subsidies for promoting exports. The Foundation for Economic Development (IKV) stands for urgent social and political reforms that will expedite Turkey's membership of the EU. While the Automobile Industrialists' Association (OSD) demands remarkable reductions in consumer taxes imposed upon motor vehicles, a number of textile sector organizations, including the Turkey Clothing Industrialists' Association (TGSD) and the Union for Istanbul Ready-to-Wear Exporters' (IHKIB) want new regulations to ease loan burdens, paralleled by new measures for protecting the domestic market. /Hurriyet/[18] TURKISH FOREIGN TRADE VOLUME $72.8 BILLIONTurkey's foreign trade volume, which was $137.6 million in 1923 when the Republic of Turkey was founded, has increased by nearly 530 fold during the last 75 years and reached $72.8 billion. Turkey's exports were $50.7 million in 1923 and imports were $86.8 million. According to data received from the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat, the first foreign trade surplus, worth $1.8 million, was seen in 1930. /Aksam/[19] TREASURY TO EXPORT BONDS TOMORROWThe Treasury aims to sell bonds worth 250-400 trillion TL in its exports tomorrow. Within the guidelines of a programme prepared by the Treasury Undersecretariat for the April-June period, tomorrow's exports will be the third this month. The repayment of the bonds will be on May 17, 2000. /Aksam/[20] DECISION WEEK FOR THE FUTURE OF THE TOURISM SECTORThe tourism sector is waiting for support from the media to help it get through a crisis stemming from recent negative developments, the Anatolia News Agency reported. In a written statement the Turkish Association of Travel Agencies' (TURSAB) Chairman, Talha Camas, said "The media should avoid airing news and images that could jeopardize tourism, which provides 2.5 million jobs."The Tourism Ministry will join together with Embassies, Turkish Airlines (THY) and tourism organizations and invite people to Turkey who can promote the country and help mould public opinion in their own countries. According to the Ministry programme, THY will provide free tickests, while the Turkish Hotel Owners' Association (TUROB) will open up their hotels. Additionally, promotional activities supported by TURSAB, the Tourism Investors' Association (TYD), the Belek Tourism Investors' Association (BETUYAB) and Oger Tours have been initiated. Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Ahmet Tan will go the United States to attend a meeting of the UN's Sustainable Development Commission. Tan, who is participating in the April 21 meeting at the invitation of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) will give a speech on the Turkish government's perspective of "Tourism's Participation in Sustainable Development". During his visit to New York, Tan will meet Turkish tour operators in the US. Reports indicate that the number of tourists coming from America increased by 20.6 percent in 1998 and that this trend continued during the first two months of 1999. /Aksam/Turkiye/ [21] TURKMENISTAN ANTICIPATES TURKISH INVESTORSTurkmenistan is anticipating Turkish investors. Turkmenistan, which is in the process of launching some important projects to improve its economic situation, is making every effort to develop light industrial facilities especially in the food and ready-to-wear sectors. In addition to the Turkmen State Investment Bank and Turkmen Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is also making significant contributions to the development of Turkmen industry.Meanwhile, Turkmenistan attaches great significance to various projects concerning the pipelines which will transport its oil and natural gas reserves to world markets. Experts note that when a project to transport Turkmen natural gas via Turkey to Europe is achieved, a huge trade volume will be enabled between Turkey and Turkmenistan. Experts say that small and medium-scale Turkish enterprises should also take part in this huge market and strengthen the brotherhood which exists between these two friendly countries. /Aksam/ [22] TURKEY EXPORTS TRUCKS TO BRITAINThe BMC Trade and Industry Joint Stock Company is exporting trucks to Britain. Officials pointed out that BMC, which exports trucks to more than 50 countries, has also begun to produce 'professional-type' trucks in line with British standards as a result of intensive planning in 1998. Officials said that BMC aimed to be a brand known worldwide in the next century. /Aksam/[23] TURKEY RANKS 20TH CONCERNING COSTS IN READY-TO-WEAR SECTORWhile Germany ranks first and most expensive in the list of production costs for the ready-to-wear sector, Turkey comes 20th. According to a survey consisting of 55 countries printed in the recent issue of Hedef magazine published by the Istanbul Textile and Ready-to-Wear Exporters' Union, Turkey ranked 20th with a cost of $0.146 per minute. /Aksam/[24] EXPORTS FROM GAP REGIONExports of agriculture and animal products from the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) region to EU countries in the first three months of 1999 increased by 25.2 % to $33.9 million, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Meanwhile, a total of 4.332 tonnes of dried apricots was exported from the GAP region in the January-March 1999 period in return for $8.8 million.[25] A TOTAL OF 122 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAPTUREDOn April 17, gendarmes captured a total of 122 immigrants in the Meric and Ipsala counties of Edirne. The illegal immigrants were planning to proceed to Greece and were taken into custody for violating both Turkish borders and the passport law, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Officials said that the immigrants would be deported once legal proceedings have been completed.[26] EXPO '99 IN BAKUTurkish businesspeople are preparing to land in Azerbaijan to initiate new investments and develop mutual cooperation, the Anatolian News Agency reported. Turkish industrialists and businesspeople will gather between May 5-9 at the Turkish Expo'99 in Baku. The Fair has been held in Azerbaijan for the last four years. More than 100 Turkish companies will be present at the Fair in addition to Turkey's Culture and Education Ministries. The Ministry of Culture will exhibit mirrors and carpets used in Ottoman Palaces in commemoration of the 700th anniversary of the establishment of the Ottoman Empire.[27] JOURNALISTS IN GERMANYDuring a 'Turkish Local Journalists' Seminar' to be held in Germany by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation on May 25-June 5, information will be furnished on the national and international activities of the Foundation within the guidelines of support for democratization throughout the world. Informative sessions will also provide information on the Press in Germany and the structure of the local press in Federal Germany. /Cumhuriyet/[28] 18TH INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL BEGINSThe 18th International Istanbul Film Festival organized by the Istanbul Culture and Art Foundation began on April 16. A total of 150 films from 37 countries will be shown during the Festival which will continue until May 2, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[29] INVESTMENT IN HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTSThe number of new hydro-electric power plants which will send trillions of liras to boost the Turkish economy by converting the existing water potential into electrical energy is increasing every day.The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources which has accelerated its work to meet the energy demand of the country at the beginning of the 21st century, in parallel with the population increase and developing industry, has given priority to the completion of hydro-electric power plant projects. /Cumhuriyet/[30] TURKISH WRESTLER DOGAN BECOMES EUROPEAN CHAMPIONDuring the European Free Style Wrestling Championshiop organized in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, Turkish Wrestler Harun Dogan became Champion for the 58 kg category, winning against Liuzzi of Italy 5-2 in the final match. Meanwhile, Aydin Polatci, who lost 4-3 against Choumiline of Russia remained in the second place and won the silver medal for the 130 kg category. /Hurriyet/[31] TURKISH FILM AT CANNES`On the Ship', a film by Serdar Akin, has been nominated for the `Semaine de la Critique', the official section of the Cannes International Film Festival. `On the Ship' will be shown nine times in three different cinemas during the Festival which will be held between May 12-23. By the end of the year, the film will also start to be shown in France, Brazil, Italy, Greece and Mexico. /Hurriyet/[32] FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS[33] TWO WINNERS, FOUR LOSERS - BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)Oktay Eksi, a columnist on the `Hurriyet' daily, reflects on the somewhat surprising unofficial results of the April 18 Elections. Eksi writes:"There are two winners of yesterday's Elections: the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP). In other words, it seems very likely that the following legislative period will be determined by the policies of these two parties. We will expect them to take Turkey into the 21st century. However, a second fact is that the Motherland Party (ANAP), the True Path Party (DYP), the Virtue Party (FP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP) have lost their previous votes in these Elections; this has been either slightly or considerably, i.e. they seem to have been `defeated'. Certain deviations from the existing percentage of votes received by these parties may occur in the final results; however, for my own part, the picture is clear enough. Let me remind you that the leaders of ANAP and the DYP made a bet on the performance of their parties before the Election. Accordingly, the one who received less votes than the other would have to resign. Now watch and see whether any of them will keep their promise. Similarly, Recai Kutan, the FP leader, had also said that a leader who caused a loss in the number of votes for his party should leave his office. True, the Virtue Party is legally new, but even Kutan cannot deny his direct reference to the votes of the now-defunct Welfare Party (RP), which achieved an apparently more successful result in 1995 than its successor in 1999. This also applies to the CHP leader, Deniz Baykal. I do not want to bring up again his call for Erdal Inonu, the leader of the Social Democratic People's Party (SHP) of the time, to resign when the votes of this party declined from 25% to 21% between 1987 and 1991. I am just mentioning the risk of whether Mr Baykal will have been able to maintain in yesterday's Elections his score of 10.7% in 1995. Therefore, the first consequence of these Elections is that the nation has a strong desire to discard the existing political leaders or the conception of politics embodied in them. If the DSP comes first, the MHP comes second, the FP or ANAP comes third and the DYP comes fifth, we way well expect that the first government of the new period might a coalition of the DSP and the MHP. For this is the first possibility that comes to mind. Yet we should note that this may be the `first' possibility but there are `other possibilities' as well. For instance, a DSP-ANAP-DYP coalition... Nevertheless, these are all mere speculation at the moment. First of all, we have to see the number of seats gained by those parties in Parliament. " [34] TURKEY TO THE RIGHT - BY YALCIN DOGAN (MILLIYET)In his column Yalcin Dogan from the daily "Milliyet" comments on the latest results of the General Election. A summary of his column is as follows:"As the countries throughout the world are falling under the impact of leftist winds, Turkey is entering a trend in the opposite direction. While leftist parties rise to power in Europe, there is an inclination towards the right in Turkey. Dramatically surprising results are being seen in Turkey. Naturally there are lessons to be learnt from these results. They can be cited as: 1) Turkey not only moves to the right but towards the nationalist right. The impact of the struggle going on in the Southeastern region for 15 years and the death toll of 30,000 on the political views of the average citizen is being clearly seen for the first time. 2) In the 1995 Election the total of votes for the centre left was 25.3%. This number rose to 31.5% in yesterday's elections, but the Republican People's Party (RPP) has suffered an historical defeat. It is wrong to consider the rise seen in the number of votes for the Democratic Left Party (DSP)as 'the rise of the left', as the DSP is not talking about a change in the system any more, and is distancing itself from the international discourse of the Left. 3) The rise of DSP can be attributed to the fact that people are looking for an honest statesman they can trust. The Republican People's party's role cannot be denied in the defeat of the left. For the first time since the proclamation of the Republic, the RPP finds itself left outside the Parliament. 4) The collapse of the centre right was seen in this Election. The bickering between centre left parties the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP) has tired out the public, and so the people searched for some other party. The leaders of both parties should evaluate their situation. 5) There has been a great boom seen in the number of votes for the Nationalist Action Party (MHP). People who had supported the centre right parties or the Virtue Party (FP) voted for the MHP in this election. After this period is over MHP can be the leading party of the centre right. The Virtue Party is reaping what it had sowed; with a discourse frightening the public, tiring it out, the party returned to its basic votes. The dramatic collapse of the Virtue Party and the True Path Party seals the collapse of their former coalition and shows that the public approves of the February 28 process. According to the most recent results available, it can be said that Bulent Ecevit will be appointed Prime Minister in a coalition with the Nationalist Action Party and the Motherland Party. However a coalition of two parties is also a possibility." [35] 21ST TERM STARTS -BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Yilmaz Oztuna, a columnist for the daily 'Turkiye' newspaper, says the following in his article today:"This article was written during the last minutes of the Election as the ballot boxes were about to be opened. However, when you see this article on Monday morning, the new composition of Turkish political life will have become evident. The 21st term of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) is faced with many important and urgent problems. Meanwhile, if measures to determine the status of deputies are implemented immediately, the new Assembly will begin its task with a new prestige. Some articles of the Constitution should definitely be amended. This will be a real test for the new term of Parliament. Let's look at to what extent the parties will make a consensus... Turkey has a great deal of coalition experience. I hope that there will be a good coalition as a government which can rapidly take decisions, implement them and achieve a rapid improvement in the economy is needed. The nation is fed up with parties which waste our time with empty words. If the new Assembly also manages the Presidential elections well, it can enter the summer of the year 2000 in tranquility. The 21st term could continue for four or five years; maybe the establishment of full stability will not have to wait until the 22nd term of Parliament. If the political situation is complex following the Election, it will not be the end of the world; all problems can be solved in a democracy. We wish the first TGNA of the 21st century and the third millenium success". [36] SLAP OF THE NATION - BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)Gungor Mengi wrote about yesterday's Election in today's column in the Sabah newspaper. Mengi compared the Election to a great earthquake saying:"The Election has two winners: the DSP and the MHP. Before the election it was predicted that the DSP would increase its votes. However, the increase in the votes for the MHP is a real surprise. In fact, the Election is the rubberstamp by the nation on the bankruptcy of politics in Turkey over the last four years. It is the sign of a longing for honest politics shown by the nation's harsh slap in the face of the parties." Mengi added that anger against Ciller and Yilmaz has destroyed the centre right and carried the MHP, which had gained a moderate character under its new chairman Devlet Bahceli, to Parliament. He said, "It is expected that the MHP will evaluate this chance with great care in the light of lessons learnet from the 'Refahyol' coalition government (between Ciller and Erbakan). Elections showed very clearly that the address for the centre left is the DSP. On the other hand, there is a vital party congress facing the CHP." Claiming that the result of the Election was the collapse of the centre right, Mengi said, "This was the last call by the nation to the DYP and the ANAP to unite. Mistakes by Ciller and Yilmaz have resulted in the rapid development of the radical right which is an unhealty development. "There are three coalition choices as a result of yesterday's elections; 1- DSP-ANAP-DYP 2- DSP-MHP 3-FP-MHP-DYP DSP-ANAP cooperation will not be enough to establish a government. The support of the DYP without Ciller may be a chance for the two right-wing parties to turn their coalition partnership into an organic unification." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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