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Turkish Press Review, 04-03-29
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
29.03.2004
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] AKP SWEEPS LOCAL ELECTIONS
[02] ERDOGAN: “OUR NATION HAS ONCE AGAIN CHOSEN STABILITY”
[03] AT SUMMIT, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNAN TO SUBMIT FINAL CYPRUS DRAFT PLAN
[04] SERDAR DENKTAS: “THE TURKISH AND GREEK PREMIERS JOINING IN THE SWISS SUMMIT COULD HELP THINGS MOVE FORWARD”
[05] GUL SEEKS AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S SINE QUA NON CYPRUS ISSUES
[06] SECOND EARTHQUAKE HITS ERZURUM
[07] 12 TURKISH FIRMS MAKE FORBES LIST OF WORLD’S LEADING COMPANIES
[08] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[09] LOCAL ELECTIONS’ OUTCOME BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] AKP SWEEPS LOCAL ELECTIONS
The 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
PLAN
UN 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 ISSUES
Foreign 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 ERZURUM
Following 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 COMPANIES
A 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.”
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