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Turkish Press Review, 04-03-29Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning29.03.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] AKP SWEEPS LOCAL ELECTIONSThe Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has claimed victory in yesterday’s local elections. Out of 81 cities, the ruling party won 57 mayoral races, including those in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, and the capital Ankara, according to unofficial results early Monday. AKP incumbent Melih Gokcek and candidate Kadir Topbas won the mayors’ seats in Ankara and Istanbul respectively, while Ahmet Piristina, a candidate from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was re-elected mayor of Izmir. The national breakdown of votes is as follows: AKP, 44%; CHP, 16%; Nationalist Action Party (MHP), 11%; True Path Party (DYP), 10%; Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP), 5%; Felicity Party (SP), 4%; and Motherland Party (ANAP), 2%. /All Papers/[02] ERDOGAN: “OUR NATION HAS ONCE AGAIN CHOSEN STABILITY”Hailing the unofficial results of yesterday’s local elections late last night, Prime Minister and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan proclaimed, “Our nation has once again voted for stability. We will be unshakably loyal to the strong will of our people.” Erdogan said that in the polls, which his party swept, the AKP had attracted more votes than when it won the November 2002 general elections with 34.4% of ballots cast. “The results prove that the people are pleased with our 17 months of rule,” said the premier. “All mayors will work without any bias. The AKP will demonstrate its new political understanding based on social centralism by serving the entire society.” Stressing that his party had taken on greater responsibilities with its win, Erdogan also vowed to strive to provide the people with better service. /All Papers/[03] AT SUMMIT, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNAN TO SUBMIT FINAL CYPRUS DRAFT PLANUN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to host a reception today in Switzerland to submit a final draft of his UN Cyprus plan to Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Greek counterpart Costas Karamanlis The plan faces a deadline of Wednesday for a deal. Fresh from his ruling party’s victory in local elections, Erdogan is expected to arrive in Switzerland today, while Karamanlis arrived yesterday. Speaking to reporters before leaving for the summit, Erdogan said that he would call US President George W. Bush, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac to ask their help in pushing the negotiations in a more positive direction. “I will seek their support for carrying out much better and more positive negotiations,” stated Erdogan. “We want to solve this problem, which has suffered from years of neglect. Doing so will also have a salutary effect on Turkish-Greek relations.” /All Papers/[04] SERDAR DENKTAS: “THE TURKISH AND GREEK PREMIERS JOINING IN THE SWISS SUMMIT COULD HELP THINGS MOVE FORWARD”Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas said that the participation of both the Turkish and Greek prime ministers beginning today at the four- way Cyprus summit would have a positive effect on the talks. Denktas added that when UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan submits the final draft of his Cyprus plan to both sides today in Switzerland, making significant changes to it would be difficult. “The latest draft of the UN Cyprus plan may include good and bad surprises for both sides,” predicted the foreign minister. /Anatolian News Agency/[05] GUL SEEKS AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S SINE QUA NON CYPRUS ISSUESForeign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday telephoned US Secretary of State Colin Powell to seek his support for the Turkish side’s sine qua non issues in the current Cyprus negotiations. Gul said that Turkey was expecting the active support of the United States on these issues. Powell reportedly said in response that he would take up the issues with his European Union member state counterparts, adding that the future of Cyprus carried great importance for them. Later, Gul also telephoned his British counterpart Jack Straw to seek his support as well. /Milliyet/[06] SECOND EARTHQUAKE HITS ERZURUMFollowing last week’s tremor in the eastern Anatolian city of Erzurum, yesterday morning Askale, a township of the city, was also shaken with an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. The quake injured more than 10 people and 10 villages were completely destroyed, reported officials. /Turkiye/[07] 12 TURKISH FIRMS MAKE FORBES LIST OF WORLD’S LEADING COMPANIESA total of 12 Turkish companies made Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s 2,000 leading companies featured in its current issue. IsBank, one the honored dozen, appears at number 566 among the world’s leading companies, with its market value of $6.68 billion. /Anatolian News Agency/[08] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[09] LOCAL ELECTIONS’ OUTCOME BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the outcome of yesterday’s local elections. A summary of his column is as follows:“The results of yesterday’s local elections show little change in the electorate’s preferences from the November 2002 general elections. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won even more votes in the polls. This outcome also shows that 17 months of AKP rule haven’t worn down the government. People still have their expectations. Another meaning of these results is that reactions to the 2001 economic crisis, which played a key role in the fall 2002 elections, continue to this day. The elections also disproved predictions that only one party would be elected with about 70 percent of the vote, as seen in increases in the votes of some opposition parties. Here’s a breakdown of the results by party: While the AKP attracted more votes and boosted its support, the main opposition Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) couldn’t hold onto the votes it won back in the general elections. This shows that the opposition didn’t gravitate towards the CHP. Contrary to the polls, the True Path Party (DYP) and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) actually won more votes. The impression that the DYP captured votes on the center right is important for the future of the Motherland Party (ANAP). Peoples’ uneasiness concerning developments on Cyprus led to a rise in MHP support. The increase in votes for the DYP and MHP can be interpreted as reflecting rising worries over national issues. We can say that nationalist views are being supported in the policies in Iraq and Cyprus. Another meaningful outcome for the AKP is that the Felicity Party (SP) is still alive and kicking. We see that some votes went to the SP after AKP leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan became estranged from the nationalist view. The Democratic Peoples’ Party (DEHAP) had a more significant influence in its cooperation with the Social Democratic Peoples’ Party (SHP). This means that choices in the southeast are still influenced by ethnic differences rather then economic ones. I don’t think the SHP isn’t a suitable vehicle for such cooperation. The clearest outcome of the elections is that people insist on testing the AKP.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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