Turkish Press Review, 07-05-01

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From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>

01.05.2007

CONTENTS

[01] IN ANKARA, AFGHAN AND PAKISTANI LEADERS RESOLVE TO MEND FENCES

[02] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DUE TO RULE ON CHP'S REQUEST TO ANNUL FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

[03] ERDOGAN: "WHAT WE NEED MOST IS UNITY AND SOLIDARITY"

[04] INTERNATIONAL ACTORS WEIGH IN ON RALLY, CONTROVERSY OVER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PROCESS

[05] BAYKAL: "IF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RULES AGAINST US, THIS COULD LEAD TO A VERY DANGEROUS CONFLICT"

[06] MUMCU: "PARLIAMENT SHOULD KEEP THE INITIATIVE"

[07] BABACAN: "TURKISH DEMOCRATIZATION HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES"

[08] SABANCI: "THE ELECTION PROCESS IS CONTINUING UNDER THE CONSTITUTION"

[09] HISARCIKLIOGLU: "WE DON'T EXPECT ANY PROBLEMS IN THE MARKETS"

[10] NO NEED FOR FEAR, PEOPLE WILL TAKE OVER THE WATCH ORHAN BIRGIT (CUMHURIYET)

[11] CAN DEMOCRACIES RUN OUT OF SOLUTIONS?

[01] IN ANKARA, AFGHAN AND PAKISTANI LEADERS RESOLVE TO MEND FENCES

[02] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DUE TO RULE ON CHP'S REQUEST TO ANNUL FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

[03] ERDOGAN: "WHAT WE NEED MOST IS UNITY AND SOLIDARITY"

[04] INTERNATIONAL ACTORS WEIGH IN ON RALLY, CONTROVERSY OVER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PROCESS

[05] BAYKAL: "IF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RULES AGAINST US, THIS COULD LEAD TO A VERY DANGEROUS CONFLICT"

[06] MUMCU: "PARLIAMENT SHOULD KEEP THE INITIATIVE"

[07] BABACAN: "TURKISH DEMOCRATIZATION HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES"

[08] SABANCI: "THE ELECTION PROCESS IS CONTINUING UNDER THE CONSTITUTION"

[09] HISARCIKLIOGLU: "WE DON'T EXPECT ANY PROBLEMS IN THE MARKETS"

FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...

[10] NO NEED FOR FEAR, PEOPLE WILL TAKE OVER THE WATCH ORHAN BIRGIT (CUMHURIYET)

"Speaking for the government concerning the General Staff's declaration last Friday, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that issuing the declaration in such a contentious atmosphere would be seen as an attempt to affect the top court's decision on last week's first round of the presidential election.

Similar accusations have also been made through the Justice and Development Party (AKP) front by certain journalists and people with scholarly titles, aimed at carrying out a campaign of disinformation on the Constitutional Court. Some have said that the top court's ruling on whether a quorum of 367 is needed would constitute interfering in the will of Parliament, the representative of the nation's sovereignty.

Unfortunately, a similar comment was also made by main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal during a press conference yesterday. Baykal claimed that if the top court rules no quorum is needed, this would deepen the current conflict. This statement didn't suit Baykal, who has a law decree.

Not only the ruling party, but also the CHP leader should take a lesson from Constitutional Court Chief Justice Tulay Tugcu's recent statement that the top court decides only in line with the Constitution and legal procedures.

To those who imply that the top court can be swayed or that its ruling could be a catalyst for conflict, I say this: Cannot the members of the top court, who decide only on behalf of the nation by taking into consideration legal procedures, when necessary, show the courage of others' courage who firmly decried the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) declaration?

Or, what logic lies in predicting the sentence of the court prematurely just by considering the justices' appointment by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer or his late predecessor Turgut Ozal?

The first warnings saying a quorum 367 deputies is needed in sessions to elect the president were made last December. Since then, debate over the matter has been continuing.

Parliament couldn't meet that number. In addition, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc's stance ignoring the legal warnings exacerbated the tension.

The military intervention of May 27, 1960 happened against the stance of the ruling Democrat Party (DP), which saw itself capable of enacting all laws and making all decisions on behalf of the nation, as it had the majority in Parliament then.

If Turkey had had a Constitutional Court back then, the ruling DP's attempt to establish an order under an 'Investigation Commission' could have been headed off through legal means without any public harm.

Today's politicians should appreciate the value of having a guarantee of the Constitutional Court.

They know the importance not only of the existence of such a court but also of being a citizen of the same country along with the millions of others resolved to protect democracy, secularism and the republic at the same time.

If millions of people are showing their determination to protect these ideals by gathering en masse in squares, Ataturk's republic is on track and the future of the nation is bright.

In line with my 50 years of political experience, this is how I see the recent rallies, especially those in Ankara's Tandogan and Istanbul's Caglayan.

Just so, the desire of people who flocked to the squares to join political forces during the elections can be well understood by all politicians who say they strongly believe in the republic."

[11] CAN DEMOCRACIES RUN OUT OF SOLUTIONS?

Columnist Ilter Turkmen comments on recent political developments in Turkey, including last week's first round of the presidential election and statement by the General Staff. A summary of his column is as follows:

"We have a saying: Democracies never run out of solutions. We often cite it, but many times we have seen solutions run out. And we have paid a heavy price whenever we became helpless. Let's take a look at recent history. We see that Turkey has faced a bumpy road since 1983, that political crisis has never been lacking, that we've overcome some of the difficulties we encountered in the democratic system but had to resort to means inconsistent with the ongoing system for all these years just in order to continue our system. On the other hand, throughout all these years the cutthroat struggle between the ruling and the opposition parties has stymied a common will aiming at protecting democracy. We can't deny the role of this phenomenon in the current dangerous deadlock.

Clearly, everyone made has miscalculations over the presidential election. After giving the impression that a candidate whose wife doesn't wear a headscarf would be elected president and then picking Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as the ruling party's candidate at the insistence of Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, the prime minister should have realized that this would trigger protests. On the other hand, the General Staff would have done better to voice its concerns behind closed doors when Gul's candidacy was announced, just before the first round. If this private declaration produced nothing, then it could have issued a statement later. It's always difficult to settle a conflict which has gone public through one side retreating. One way to overcome this crisis would be the Constitutional Court ruling that 367 deputies are needed to vote for president in the first round. Should it rule this way, general elections will immediately be triggered, as the presidential election couldn't continue. However, such a decision would lead to claims that it was made under the pressure of the General Staff's statement. Law would be sacrificed to politics, and the Constitutional Court would be gravely injured. Another way would be Gul's withdrawing his candidacy. But of course no one can urge him to do so, as his running is in full compliance with the Constitution.

Seeing a way out this crisis is quite difficult. Can't President Ahmet Necdet Sezer try to find a compromise?"

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