Presidential election starts
An unlikely time for high ratings but it is an extraordinary moment. After the last night's media event, that is BJK-FB derby, here comes another media event: People in the middle of a Friday stuck to their TV sets and watch the live coverage of presidential election sessions in the Turkish Parliament.
According to what I hear from the concerned parties 367 vs. 184 struggle is a lost one from the outset legal-technical-wise. Main opposition party (CHP) claims that there must be at least 367 MPs to start the session but the governing party insists on 184. They base their arguments on some constitutional articles but according what I understand the latter is right. And some law scholars whom I trust such as Ergun Özbudun support the 184 argument. CHP will take this issue to the Consitutional Court. The Court will agree with CHP only under some political influence, I believe. Otherwise, Abdullah Gül will become the next president soon....
Comments
Dear Erkan
Let me move your attention to my article"Turkey part of us"
by Prof. Francesco Tampoia
2007-04-25 09:44:04
Published on OVIMAGAZINE
Posted by: Francesco Tampoia | April 27, 2007 05:49 PM
Boycotting an election, sounds weird. In the meanwhile, the country must be governed. What is CHP's goal? I really don't understand this. Next to the fact that after 4 1/2 years of relative stability, Turkey will face some relative instability.
Posted by: hans | April 27, 2007 05:49 PM
I read a lot about this situation. I see a lot of critisism suggesting that the Democracy in Turkey is injured, that fears against the moderate(!)islamist government are exaggerated. Well let's look at another country where a similar occurence already has taken place.
Most of the individual rights are violated and an overzealous Christian right has made huge inroads in the Government and the separation of Church and State is getting narrower by the minute to the point of extinction. "Evolution" is tried to be eliminated from schools in favor of the creationist theories(!), we have a President who says he gets his marching orders from a father of different kind(!).
The movement of the Christian right and the recent successes in this country (you've guessed it, U.S.) and the ultra right wing Supreme court appointments and what is taking place in Turkey have the makings of the same production team, same zeal, same sinister "run silent, run deep" philosophy, which leads to the eventual conquest of religion.
The AKP in Turkey is well known to be receiving their marching orders from the ultra right leaning Republican Party and the U.S. President.
Let's not kid each other. Where the U.S. has been brought in the last 6 years resembles awfully where Turkey is being brought to. The eurocentric EU and self serving U.S. interests are in support of the AKP Government in Turkey.
But the support of AKP is not the very first blunder or mistake in U.S. Foreign policy. Look at, where the once heavily U.S. supported Saddam and Iraq are today. U.S. also supported for many, many decades the Saudi Monarchy, which is the prominenet exporter of Wahabism, Islamic Fundamentalism. Critisism against the demonstrations of Turks and their unwillingness to have the Islamists spreading like the spread of the fundamentalist Christians in the U.S. is the last thing that the Turks can tolerate.
The U.S. and British dominated E.U. have long been salivating for the Middle East Oil. These parties are the least to be trusted and taken seriously by the Turks. Turkey also must conduct her economic policies by the instructions of the World Bank, whose president is the same Mr. Wolfovitz whose destructive neo-con ideals already ruined the balance in the Middle East beyond any recognition.
It is then no wonder that the U.S. and Britain as well as the Christian Club E.U. members are in support and in defense of the AKP and an islamist President who can easily be directed and manipulated as with the rest of the puppet regimes of the Middle East.
This is an issue which Turkey must resolve on her own. The Republic in Turkey is founded on the strong secular principles of her father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This may not bode well with the expansionist foreign policies of the British and the U.S. Governments. A strong Turkey still is a better ally for the U.S. and Britain than the weak Islamist Sharia oriented Turkey.
The spread of fundamental Islam showed her merciless face on 9/11 and we still are looking for excuses to call the rise of Islamists in Turkey. Why do the Turks have to put up with the rise of Islam? They fought long and hard to join the rest of the West and they earned their place.
People in Turkey have proven their political savvy by the huge demonstartions in Ankara and in Istanbul. We only wish that Americans were half as alert as Turks are.
Let us also remember, that it's not only Turkey, but Britain and the U.S. largely benefit from the ever-strong military presence in Turkey.
Turks have shown their solid commitment to the West in Korean war. Just talk to a few U.S Korean veterans and see what they have to tell you about how they feel about their Turkish comrades.
Turks also serve the Nato and United Nations well in Afghanistan, and in other world conflicts. Turks deserve better and more realistic friends and objectivity.
Turks see themselves Turks first and Moslems second, unlike most of us in this country.
Turks do not need to go back another 80-90 years.
Posted by: Mike Eagleson | May 4, 2007 01:41 AM