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Turkish Press Review, 99-04-20Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>20.04.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] THE PERCENTAGE OF VOTES AND THE NUMBER OF MPs OBTAINED BY THE PARTIES[02] FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS[03] CONGRATULATIONS QUICK AS LIGHTNING FROM ECEVIT -BY ERTUGRUL OZKOK (HURRIYET)[04] THE PERCENTAGE OF VOTES AND THE NUMBER OF MPs OBTAINED BY THE PARTIESAccording to the `Milliyet' daily, on the basis of the current data, the percentage of votes and the number of MPs received by the political parties in the General Elections held on Sunday are as follows: the Democratic Left Party (DSP), 21.71 % and 136 MPs; the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), 18.03 % and 128 MPs; the Virtue Party (FP), 15.41 % and 109 MPs; the Motherland Party (ANAP), 13.42 % and 85 MPs; and the True Path Party (DYP), 12.26 % and 89 MPs. /Milliyet/[05] ECEVIT SUBMITS HIS RESIGNATION TO THE PRESIDENTFollowing the Local and General Elections on Sunday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit visited President Suleyman Demirel in the Presidential Palace yesterday evening, submitting his resignation from the Prime Ministry according to political practice. In turn, President Demirel requested that Ecevit remain in office until a new government has been formed. On the other hand, President Demirel also received Hikmet Cetin, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), and Huseyin Kivrikoglu, the Chief of General Staff. Demirel, who will go to the US today to attend the NATO summit, held weekly meetings with Cetin and Gen.Kivrikoglu. It is reported that the election results were evaluated during the visits. Meanwhile, it has been reported that President Demirel will visit France on May 3-4. /Sabah/Milliyet/[06] DSP NUMBER ONE IN IZMIR AND AEGEAN REGIONThe Democratic Left Party (DSP) showed its strength all over the Aegean region overpowering all of the Izmir and Aegean region in both the general and mayor elections. The party attained over 40 % of the Izmir vote in the general election and over 30 % in the mayoral elections. In the mayoral vote, the DSP attained the mayorship of ten districts including Izmir Metropolitan. /Aksam/[07] ELECTION LOSERSThe Republican People's Party (CHP) will no longer be represented in Parliament as it did not pass the national threshold. Turkey's oldest party, established by Ataturk, will be left out of Parliament for the first time in the political history of modern Turkey.Furthermore, Turkey's two main centre-right parties are also among the losers of this election. Turkish voters showed they have lost trust in the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP). Both parties suffered a decrease in the number of their votes. The Virtue Party (FP) is also at a crossroads. The results of Sunday's polls showed that the FP has lost at least 5 % of its support. Political experts said that the forthcoming party congress will reveal the future of FP leader Recai Kutan and the party policy. /All papers/ [08] BAYKAL IS TO WITHDRAWThe Election results created an earthquake in the Rebublican People's Party (CHP). Deniz Baykal, the CHP leader, decided to `give up politics' due to the his party's failure to exceed the 10% national threshold in the General Elections, which excluded the CHP from being represented in Parliament. It is reported that Baykal told his friends, "I have been striving for years, but I could not succeed. I am going to resign from Chairmanship and give up politics. I will declare this decision of mine tomorrow. Following my resignation we will convene the General Congress of our party. The Congress will elect the Party's new Chairman and administrative staff. The CHP will continue its march." Meanwhile, Adnan Keskin, the General Secretary of the CHP also decided to withdraw from his office. It is expected that the entire CHP administration will resign as well, following the leading figures of the Party. /Sabah/[09] 22 FEMALE DEPUTIES IN TGNAThe number of female deputies in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in the 1995 elections was thirteen. This figure reached 22 in the April 18 elections. Three female deputies were from the Virtue Party (FP), ten from the Democratic Left Party (DSP), two from the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), five from the True Path Party (DYP) and two female deputies were from the Motherland Party (ANAP). /Milliyet/[10] YILMAZ FROM CHP WINS IN CANKAYA MUNICIPALITYHaydar Yilmaz, the candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) won the highest number of votes and became the mayor of Cankaya county in Ankara, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[11] MHP SHOCK IN USIn the recent evaluations made in the US regarding the elections in Turkey, there has been a Nationalist Action Party (MHP) shock. Even though the US administration was expecting that the MHP would gain strength during these elections, it was not expected that the MHP would attain such a high amount of votes. US officials said: "The strengthening of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the MHP, which have been the standard-bearers of Turkish nationalism on basic issues such as the Kurdish and Cyprus issues, weakens the possibility of a more flexible solution to these problems". /Milliyet/[12] ATHENS IS CONCERNEDThe Greek Government Deputy Spokesman Nikos Athanasakis said: "Greece wants good relations and cooperation with a stable government to be established in our neighbouring country". In Greek political circles, the surprisingly high rate of votes attained by the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) is being discussed rather than the votes received by the Democratic Left Party (DSP).Meanwhile, the Essusia newspaper published in Greece said, that in addition to the high votes received by the MHP, there has been a significant decline in the number of votes for opposition parties. The Elefterotipia newspaper noted that the political situation in Turkey constitutes a threat for Greece. The Etnos newspaper said that the 'Grey Wolves' have doubled their power. The Elefteros Tipos newspaper stressed that the submissive stance of Simitis has put Ecevit in a stronger position and made the DSP the first party. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ [13] ITALY: "VICTORY OF THE KENYA HERO"The La Repubblica newspaper published in Italy said that the secular party of Bulent Ecevit, who captured the Head of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya and brought him to Turkey, won a victory. The La Stampa noted that the disagreements between central right-wing parties have been useful for nationalists.The DPA newspaper published in Germany stated that the Virtue Party (FP) faced a great loss in the elections. The Nationalist Action Party (MHP) became the second party following the Democratic Left Party (DSP). A tri-party coalition is needed for a stable government. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said that Ecevit took advantage of the capture of the PKK Chief Abdullah Ocalan. Meanwhile, the Head of the Turkish Research Centre (TAM) in Essen, Faruk Sen, said: "This election has shown that there is no Islamic trend in Turkey anymore". /Hurriyet/ [14] RUSSIAN REACTIONS TO THE ELECTIONS IN TURKEYThe official news agency, Itar-Tass, issued an article entitled 'Grey-Wolves like a storm' with reference to the results of the elections in Turkey. Itar-Tass said that the MHP would assume an important role in the establishment of the new Turkish government and right-wing nationalism would take hold in Turkey. The agency noted that the Turkish nation had shown that they did not want the army and fundamentalists to govern the country. A Russian official who closely follows the development of Russia and Turkey's relationship stated that the position of the MHP would determine the course of relations between the two countries. /Milliyet/[15] SUNDAY'S ELECTIONS IN THE WORLD PRESSForeign press agencies showed great interest in the 18 April elections in Turkey. The British 'Financial Times' newspaper reported that voters mainly ignored the central right parties which are continually discussing eachother. It also said the Democratic Left Party (DSP) obtained the expected result, and the paper noted that the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) suprisingly came second in the elections.Meanwhile, the French 'Liberation' newspaper claimed that there was a revolution in the politics of Turkey. It reported that the nationalists could have been in power in Turkey, adding that the DSP came first and MHP came second in the elections. The paper stressed that Abdullah Ocalan's capture and taking to Turkey, had caused deep changes in Turkish politics. The AFP News Agency, also, brought attention to the fact that the MHP got the second most successful result at the end of the elections. It claimed that the DSP leader Bulent Ecevit would establish a coalition government with the MHP. Furthermore, the Belgian 'La Libre Belgique' newspaper evaluated the result of the 18 April election as a success for right and left nationalism. 'La Derniere Heure' newspaper, also, reported that there was a revolution in Turkish politics. One of the leading American newspapers, the 'New York Times', reported that Abdullah Ocalan's capture had been an important 'political force' from Bulent Ecevit's point of view. It evaluated that Ecevit was a political figure to ensure stability in Turkey's stormy political life. It claimed that the capture of the chief of the terrorist organization had strengthened nationalistic feelings in the country, adding that MHP's success was a clear sign of this. /Turkiye/Aksam/ [16] NATO'S LAND OPERATION IS ON THE WAYTurkish military officials who have participated in NATO strikes against Yugoslavia stated that Belgrade had not used its land-to-air missile system against NATO's air strikes and said that these systems would probably be implemented during a land operation. The NATO Deputy Secretary-General responsible for political relations, Klaus-Peter Klaiber said: "It is likely that ground units will be sent to Yugoslavia". Meanwhile, it has been reported that training of 100 Turkish soldiers, part of the unit to be deployed for the coordination of NATO's humanitarian aid to Albania, is on-going. Turkish soldiers will be sent to the region following the completion of the NATO headquarters in Albania. /Cumhuriyet/[17] DEMIREL RECEIVES FOREIGN CHILDRENPresident Suleyman Demirel yesterday received the representatives of foreign countries who arrived in Turkey for the 23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Festival. Demirel said in a speech that he was very pleased to see them in Turkey every year. He added: "Children of any country are our children. We believe that peace will be maintained throughout the world, sooner or later". Demirel pointed out the importance of better education for children. /Cumhuriyet/[18] TWO CRITICAL APPOINTMENTSAnnual spring-term meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington and New York to be held next week are of great importance for Turkey since they are just prior to an IMF visit to Turkey in May. The main issue of the meetings in Washington and New York will probably focus on the results of the elections in Turkey and the structural reforms to be made in Turkey.Meanwhile, Hikmet Ulugbay, Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister responsible for the economy, will head a Turkish delegation consisting of representatives from the Treasury, Central Bank, State Planning Organization (DPT) and the Finance Ministry. Ulugbay asked for an appointment with the Head of IMF, Michael Camdessus and Head of the World Bank, James D.Wolfensohn. /Hurriyet/ [19] TURCO-EUROPEAN FOUNDATIONInitiatives have been launched for the establishment of a 'Turco-European Foundation' under the leadership of the Head of the Turco-German Foundation, Vural Oger in order to erase the misinformation concerning Turkey in Western public opinion. In other words, the Turco-German Foundation has rolled up its sleeves to establish a foundation to be active throughout Europe. It is reported that the Turco-European Foundation will open an office in Brussels as the Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association (TUSIAD). /Hurriyet/[20] A TRNC DELEGATION TO VISIT GAP REGIONA delegation from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) headed by Tahsin Ertugruloglu, TRNC Foreign and Defence Minister, will visit Sanliurfa and will make observations in Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) region, the Anatolia News Agency reports. GAP Regional Development Administration said that the TRNC delegation will come to Sanliurfa on April 22, 1999, to contribute to the promotion campaign of Turkey and the GAP region and to the integration process of the economies of the two countries.[21] THE FINANCIAL MARKET AFTER THE ELECTIONSThe unexpected success of the DSP and MHP has caused a certain uneasiness in the financial circles of Turkey. The reason for the uneasiness is that the financial market does not know much about the MHP's economic programme. The first reaction to the results of the election was seen at the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB), which decreased by 6.58 % during the first session. However, in the second session, it rose again after the MHP leader Devlet Bahceli's compromising statement concerning the future of Turkish politics. Economic circles said that there was a "wait and see" policy at the moment. /Aksam/[22] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN ARE CAUTIOUSCommenting on the election results businessmen Ishak Alaton said that the increase in the MHP votes should be interpreted as a reaction against the other parties. He added that Turkey could have a stable government with a DSP-MHP coalition, that would also include a third party. Zafer Caglayan, head of the Ankara Industrialists' Bar (ASO), stated it was time for the party leaders to make sacrifice adding that the leaders of the two center-right parties should make some sacrifices and join the DSP and MHP. Caglayan stressed that there was no reason to establish a stable government based on the current picture.Sinan Aygun, the head of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), firmly believed that a stable government would be established. He added that Turkey's future was very bright. Abdurrahman Ariman, head of the Foreign Capital Institution (YASED), said that surprises could bring instability; however, he added, this time Turkey would manage to establish a stable government to attract foreign investment. /Aksam/ [23] EU SUPPORT FOR EIGHT-YEAR EDUCATIONThe European Union (EU) has decided to support the eight-year uninterrupted education programme in Turkey. The EU Commission will grant 100 million Euros to Turkey in order to support the eight-year uninterrupted education programme. Within this framework, studies to support the eight-year uninterrupted education programme will be conducted. /Milliyet/[24] TEKIN ARAL PASSES AWAYA renowned Turkish humourist and cartoonist Tekin Aral died yesterday in Istanbul. Aral's cartoons were published in many newspapers and magazines. Aral published a humour magazine called 'Firt' in 1976. Aral's body will be buried tomorrow. /Cumhuriyet/[25] ISTANBUL IN THE USComparing the Turkish and Greek cuisines, the New York Times praised the `Cafe Istanbul', a Turkish restaurant in New York. Opened last year in order to introduce `lahmacun' to the Americans, `Cafe Istanbul' presents a number of dishes from the Turkish cuisine, accompanied by select examples of Turkish music by Ercan Dereyayla, a Turkish musician living in the US. /Turkiye/[26] FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS[27] `DSP-MHP-ANAP COALITION' - BY YALCIN DOGAN (MILLIYET)In today's Milliyet newspaper Yalcin Dogan wrote in his column about the coalition government to be established. Dogan claimed that searching for new policies pushes society towards radical parties. "In the 1995 election society, which lost hope in the central right, yielded itself to the Welfare Party," said Dogan, adding, "But it suffered a great disappointment."Dogan noted, "There is a very basic conclusion of the election: nobody wants to quarrel. The nation eliminated the ones who are quarrelsome. There is going to be a difficult period ahead of us. The difficulty comes from the identity of the MHP. What kind of programme does MHP have? Who are the newly elected MPs? Did they have any role in the chaos that Turkey suffered in the past? Devlet Bahceli draws a moderate profile which helped the MHP to become the second party. However, Bahceli has no state experience. There are two uneasiness in the public view that Bahceli should eliminate; one of them is in economy and the other one is in foreign policy. Privatization, social security reforms and Turco-EU relations are the basic issues." Yalcin Dogan claimed that this uneasiness would be eliminated with the support to be given to a DSP-MHP coalition government by a third party. He concluded, "ANAP will cover the missing parts from both the DSP and MHP. The formula to prevent Turkey concealing itself in economical and foreign policy issues will be ensured by the participation of the ANAP in the coalition goverment to be established." [28] FIRST OBSERVATIONS ON THE ELECTIONS - BY ALI SIRMEN (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Ali Sirmen comments on the latest results of the Election held on Sunday. A summary of his column is as follows:"Naturally, observations made on the Election without having received concrete results would not be healthy. However, I will review the situation as it is. The April 18 Elections have two winners: the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the Nationalist Action party (MHP). The image of Bulent Ecevit as a mature, experienced and responsible statesman made him the favourite of the Elections . Therefore his success did not surprise anyone. However this cannot be said for the MHP. Only a month prior to the Elections, people were saying that the votes cast for the party would not exceed the threshold foreseen in the Election system. The officials of the party repeatedly said that they were stronger than believed, but even they did not expect this result..... Both parties can be described as organizations which have strong nationalist tendencies. Certainly, there is a difference between the concept of nationalism upheld by each party, one seemingly more on the left than the other. It should also be noted that regional ethnic chauvinism has carried both parties to success. Bulent Ecevit is a leader known from the days of the Cyprus Peace Operation. The MHP, following a "panturanist" ideology at first, in time supported the memories of the youth who died in Southeastern Anatolia and followed an unwavering policy regarding the issue. This points out the fact that Turks still support a nationalist state of their own. A common characteristic seen in the leaders of both parties is that they took great care in staying away from a quarrelsome, destructive and restless image. Bulent Ecevit displayed this characteristic during the 55th and 56th governments. Although the quarrelsome past of the MHP was a drawback for Devlet Bahceli, he took great care to stay away from this line. We hope the officials of the MHP remember this point, and smooth out the extreme points within the party. The extremists and quarrelsome attitude of the party seen in the past will be an obstacle for the MHP. If Bahceli can smooth them, both the party and the country will benefit from it. The differences between both parties can be cited as: one being the party bearing the stamp of its leader, and the other having strong organization. Another point is that while the DSP gives a place to discourse on human rights and democratization nothing is heard from the MHP on these points." [29] CONGRATULATIONS QUICK AS LIGHTNING FROM ECEVIT -BY ERTUGRUL OZKOK (HURRIYET)Ertugrul Ozkok, a columnist for the daily 'Hurriyet' newspaper, says the following in his article today:"I have been wondering one thing since last night; whether or not Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will congratulate the Chairman of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli; will he actually congratulate him? I have learnt that without waiting for even the final results of the elections, Ecevit phoned Bahceli yesterday morning and congratulated him. It can be regarded as a good beginning when we think that there have been no such congratulations in previous elections. The Democratic Left Party (DSP) recorded the words of Bahceli who said that they were not distant from the DSP. The issue wondered by everyone is whether or not the four leaders who failed in the elections will resign. There has been no such indicator up until now. There are some precipitate comments on the results of the elections in Western press. For instance, the results 'have kept Turkey far from Europe'. I think that it is too early to say this. These circles do not know Devlet Bahceli and his Party. There is another detail that should be viewed by Europeans. There is a boom in the votes received by the MHP, which represents Turkish nationalism, while there has been a decline in the votes received by the People's Democracy Party (HADEP), which represents Kurdish nationalism. What does this sociological result mean? Is the ethnic Kurdish nationalism at a crossroads? If so, this is a very important development. I personally think that the participation of the MHP in the coalition does not have any drawbacks because Devlet Bahceli and the MHP know the limits of the state. Furthermore, there has been a Refahyol (Welfare Party-True Path Party coalition) process from which everyone can take a lesson. Therefore, there is no need to artifically exclude the MHP from the coalition". [30] THE LESSON GIVEN BY THE NATION - BY FUAT BOL (TURKIYE)Fuat Bol, a columnist in the `Turkiye' daily, reflects on the results of the General Elections and evaluates in particular the reasons for the rise of nationalism. Bol writes:"The nation has provided unforgettable lessons to politicians in this Election. Those who fail to undertand these lessons and continue to pursue their own interests that are incompatible with the agenda of the people will be totally discarded from political life in the near future. The nation punished those who are blind to its own problems. There has been an ongoing but unnamed war in this country for 15 years. The sturdy sons of the nation receive that invaluable glory, martyrdom, in the spring of their lives. For 15 years, the mothers of Anatolia had to experience an unbearable sorrow. Can anybody speak of order and security if even the fundamental right to live has ceased to exist in this land? Therefore, this grand nation has pursued the rights of the blood of martyrs through this Election. The tragic situation of the center-right, i.e. of the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP), is rooted in the impotence of their leaders. The Prime Ministry of Bulent Ecevit in the minority government formed by the Democratic Left Party (DSP) which only had 60 seats in Parliament has heralded this tragic end. In that way, the parties on the center-right confessed that they were unable to come together. Hence, if you cannot come together and if you prefer to abstain from taking political responsibility in the face of serious national questions, do we really need you then? Mr. Ecevit is a self-confident, serious and brave politician. That is what you said as well. Thus you left the burden and the responsibility of governing the country to him. In turn, the nation also left that responsibility to him, complying with you own contentions! Now you do not have the right to complain about situation. In addition, standing for another formation except the DYP and ANAP, the nation has also given new address to the center-right: the Nationalist Action Party (MHP). The nation has given a very big lesson: It has retained the Republican People's Party below the 10 % national threshold and buried it in the ballot; in this way, it has undermined aggression, discrimination and destruction. It has chastised the Virtue Party (FP), punishing this party for exploiting the former votes for it. Finally, it punished the DYP and ANAP. Instead of them, the nation gave opportunity to a new and strong political formation: the MHP, as the new address of the center right. The DSP has taken adventage of the opportunity given to it by social engineers and the center-right parties. However, be aware of it: the DSP may be on the left, but it is nationalist as well." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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