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Turkish center-right parties turn toward unity
The news of unity, though expected from the center-left of the political spectrum, came from the center-right. The two main opposition parties on the right, the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) and the True Path Party (DYP), are set to form an alliance against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) before the coming national elections. A proposal presented by the ANAVATAN for unity in the center-right has received a warm response, but not an affirmative one yet, from the DYP; but senior analysts in Ankara believe that this time around, the talk over alliance or unity is more than just words and the efforts will bear a concrete result.The proposal forwarded by ANAVATAN on April 10 aims to merge the two parties under one roof, with ANAVATAN leader Erkan Mumcu consenting to step down as leader. The new party that will rise out of the ashes of the two will be called the 'Democrat Party,' according to the proposal. Both ANAVATAN and the DYP were influential parties throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, but failed to pass the 10 percent election threshold in the Nov. 3, 2002 national elections. The likelihood of failing to pass the 10 percent threshold in the coming elections pushed the two parties to seek a closer collaboration. Both parties believe the merger will allow them to win at least 250 deputies in the elections, with Aðar becoming the next prime minister. Analysts in Ankara believe the merger could create a serious synergy against the ruling party, since they both compete for the conservative sections of the society. Posted by: Pappy 2007-04-19 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=186166 |