Towards elections: Erdoğan’s obsession for presidential system and more…

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Even President Abdullah Gül and Bülent Arınç opposes the PM Erdoğan’s desire for the presidential system. I cannot know why he is so eager about that. Under normal conditions, his party already dominates the parliamentary system…

Transsexual Running for Parliament

from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White
Photo from Radikal-Öykü Özen is running for parliament. She describes her life as one of struggle. Her mother was one of the first labor migrants to Germany. Öykü Özen graduated from an imam-hatip high school and was trained as a hafız, one who has memorized the Quran. 

THE CORRIDOR – Codes of the Kurdish question in candidate lists

by HDN
The release of party candidate lists next week will say a lot about how the parties are approaching the Kurdish issue.

A book on the presidential system

by HDN
Turkey will have a historic opportunity to debate its future social contract through the new constitution. Alas a new obstacle lies ahead: the debate on a presidential system.

Presidential system: advantageous for Turkey?

by KLAUS JURGENS

Is Turkey going to adopt a presidential system or not? It is far too early to make a final prediction. Many other pressing items currently dominate Ankara?s domestic and international agenda, including the upcoming June 12 general elections. Let us nevertheless press the fast forward button looking ahead and consider the pros and cons of changing a substantial element of the country?s political structure

Is a presidential system feasible in Turkey?

by MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE
Can Turkey transition from a parliamentary system to a presidential one? It is possible both theoretically and practically. But it would be wrong to spurt out a ?yes? or ?no? without looking at the rich background of this debate.

Turkish military unable to understand soldiers’ arrest, statement says – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

WikiLeaks Turkey (3): an X-Ray of the ?deep state?

by YAVUZ BAYDAR
?In every bureaucracy and every ilçe (provincial county), the deep state has individuals it can rely on to (1) keep tabs on internal developments and (2) to make clear the deep state position on particular issues that concern national security.

Wikileaks Turkey (1): an X-ray of the ‘deep state’
Al-Arabiya
So begins, too, American monitoring of a painfully bumpy adventure of the AK Party as a ruling political, civilian movement in Turkey. Given the high number of American cables from Turkey — all 11000 of them, a record figure — there was a moment

Big Changes Open Politics to Turkish Minorities

by By SUSANNE GÜSTEN
Turkey is preparing for a general election on June 12 and the campaign reflects just how radically this society has transformed itself in the past decade.

 

Ergenekon is over (?)

by ERGUN BABAHAN
The Ergenekon case is one of the critical steps in a great change happening in Turkey. Its determination to try in court several high-ranking generals has made it all the more important.

‘Concerns’ about AKP, ‘curiosity’ about CHP in Washington

by ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey?s main opposition party?s visit to Washington revealed concerns toward the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and curiosity towards the Republican People?s Party, or CHP, through questions asked by American officials, congressmen and think tanks

The ‘master period’

by HDN
Now, the absolute ruler says AKP would start its mastership period in governance after the June 12 vote. May God save Turkey! 

The primaries already signal the winner

by ABDULLAH BOZKURT
The primaries for the run-up to national elections on 12 June will be over on Monday evening when the parties registered to compete in upcoming elections submit the official list of nominees to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) as required by law.

Erdogan as the Michael Jordan of Turkish Politics

by Asher

The whole ?Balkans? thing is temporarily suspended because, well, who cares about the Balkans. And I have work to do besides. The following post will not be cited as strongly as I usually like to cite things because I intend it more as a thought-provoker than as an assertion of truth. Bakacaz.I?m not even a basketball sort of person, but basketball is American life. The urban facts of life in the United States have been largely laid clear ? well, if not clear at least silhouetted ? by Bethlehem Shoals? crew at Free Darko. I don?t usually read it, because I?m not a fan, but something by Yago Colas grabbed my attention (basketball stuff elided):

CHP and Leadership by Adem Palabıyık

The debate on Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu?s leadership was essentially started by the interview former Republican People?s Party (CHP) Secretary-General Önder Sav gave to the Ege?de Son Söz (The Final Word In The Aegean) daily. Sav?s statements made it clear that Kılıçdaroğlu had been ?brought to the position of chairman.? But what did Sav say about Kılıçdaroğlu, the CHP and Deniz Baykal?

The PKK has launcked its election campaign

by Ergun Babahan Star
As the general elections draw near, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK) is stepping up its violence and attacks. This is something that we are very familiar with.

CHP’s main challenge is to break prejudices

by HDN
Kılıçdaroğlu?s soft-spoken manner, along with growing in-house dynamism, is helping the party change its image before the general elections. But is it enough? 

Gender equality in Turkey: CHP’s policy proposals

by HDN
The CHP will continue to fight gender stereotypes and believe that strengthening women?s rights will bring significant economic, social and democratic benefits.

Transsexual seeks ruling party nomination in Turkey’s İzmir

by HDN
Following the naming of transsexual Öykü Özen as a main opposition candidate nominee, another transsexual has applied to run for Parliament in the ruling AKP.

THE CORRIDOR – BDP worrying about possible hard time

by HDN
We?ll see in the days to come whether or not the hard time facing many BDP deputies will have an effect on the party’s choices for its candidates in the coming elections.

New CHP and shifting sands in Washington

by HDN
Former Ambassador Osman Korutürk?s emphasis on the ‘New CHP’ at the CSIS meeting was a smart move that helped to give his party a renewed and up-to-date identity.

CHP plans to give impetus to Turkey’s EU talks if elected

Deep TÜSİAD against TÜSİAD

by Ergun Babahan Star
When prosecutor Zekeriya Öz launched the Ergenekon investigation, I worked at the Sabah daily and we reported the news with the headline: ?The state is against the deep state.?

 

The election strategies of political parties: MHP

by EMRE USLU
This is the fourth article of this series and aims to analyze the Nationalist Movement Party?s (MHP) election strategy. As the country enters a critical election period no clearly defined MHP strategy has been revealed, yet.

Jackknifed: CHP between change and status quo

by ABDULLAH BOZKURT
With a little over two months? time left to national elections in Turkey, the main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP) is acting like a huge 18-wheeler truck with a tractor pulling in one direction while a trailer with a heavy load from the past is turning in the opposite direction. The likely outcome for the CHP under this scenario is a jackknifed tractor-trailer that needs to be rescued, possibly by another leader after the elections on June 12.

Dispute on scarf-wearing deputy

by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
An initiative launched by a group of headscarf-wearing women who demanded the election of headscarf-wearing deputies to Parliament has led to a debate in conservative circles.

 

Can Dundar: ?Possibility of Nuclear Plant Should be Asked in Referendum?

by acturca

Milliyet (Turkey), 19 March 2011                                              Turkish

Column by  Can Dündar

The CHP [Republican People’s Party] has hit several birds with one stone: Not only has it become the voice of hundreds of thousands of young men awaiting a solution to their military service woes, it has also put an end to the formula: CHP + Army = Government.

Scarf-wearing deputy issue

by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
The row over the potential election of a headscarf-wearing deputy in upcoming general elections in June further heated up following opposition by Ali Bulaç, a conservative writer, to a demand by a group of women who wear headscarves, on the grounds that these women are being abused by some circles who want to corner the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

 

Elite Turkish family fan of IMF but not AKP, WikiLeaks says

by ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
One of the richest Turkish families disapproved of Turkey?s non-deal with the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, and was not a fan of the ruling administration, according to a 2009 US diplomatic cable.

 

Will Turkey follow the new CHP?

by HDN
In the long run, CHP chief Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu?s reforms may indeed provide Turkey with a social democratic, pro-Western alternative to the present leadership.

 

Turkeys war-weary Kurds build villages for ...

 

People take a break after working at a building site at Viransehir in Urfa. Kurdish people are building their own village near Viransehir city, using the stones they cut from volcanic rocks that can be found all around. Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an umbrella organization for local Kurdish groups in southeast Turkey, and an activist, Metin Yegin, jointly organize the project. (AFP/File/Bulent Kilic)

 

Le brave théologien laïc et l?assassinat des missionnaires de Malatya.

from YOL (routes de Turquie et d’ailleurs) by anne

beyaz_hoca_dan_cilgin_oneri.1302119779.jpg

En Turquie, il est rare que les choses soient simples. Et certains éditorialistes s?y inquiètent du contexte dans lequel le procureur Zekeriya Öz vient d?être dessaisi du dossier Ergenekon. En effet le procureur qui venait d?envoyer les journalistes Ahmet Sik et Nedim Sener en prison, provoquant un tollé bien au-delà de la Turquie, venait aussi  d?impliquer le réseau Ergenekon dans l? assassinat  des missionnaires de la maison d?édition Zirve à Malatya. Cela fait longtemps que les familles des victimes attendaient ça.

The PKK?s religion card

by Ruşen Çakır Vatan
The Kurdish political movement is trying to take ownership of the religion card, which seems to have slipped out of the hands of the state.

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