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| Europe |
| Turkish Court Blocks Islamic Candidate |
| 2007-05-02 |
| TurkeyÂ’s highest court on Tuesday blocked a presidential candidate with a background in Islamic politics, pitching the country into early elections and a referendum on the role of religion in its future. In a 9-to-2 ruling, the court upheld an appeal by TurkeyÂ’s main secular political party, which sought to block Abdullah Gul, a close ally of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, from becoming president, objecting to what they said were his Islamic credentials. But Mr. Gul, an observant Muslim who is TurkeyÂ’s foreign minister, has kept Islam out of public policy in his four years in government, and his supporters said the decision was simply an attempt to hold on to power by TurkeyÂ’s secular elite, which has controlled the state since AtaturkÂ’s revolution in 1923. In the ruling, the court annulled a vote for Mr. Gul held in Parliament on Friday because there were not enough lawmakers present. Secular parties boycotted the vote. But the ruling was more political than legal, his supporters charged. Previous presidents have been elected with fewer lawmakers present in the first round of voting. The court, they argue, reflects the interests of a secular establishment that is now mounting an assault against Mr. Erdogan and the emerging class of religious Turks that he represents. In remarks broadcast Tuesday, Mr. Erdogan said his party would press for early elections in late June or early July. Parliament must vote to begin elections, but the measure is supported by parties across the political spectrum and is expected to pass. He also made what is likely to be a highly controversial proposal that would take the presidential selection process out of the hands of Parliament altogether and place it in a popular vote, which he would like to see happen soon, but which is unlikely to affect the current election. Turkey is a parliamentary system, and Turks vote for parties, which then form governments based on their allotment in Parliament. The open question on Tuesday night was what action, if any, TurkeyÂ’s powerful military would take. The military sees itself as the defender of AtaturkÂ’s secular legacy and has ousted four elected governments since 1960. It issued a sharp warning to the government on Friday night that it would intervene if Mr. Erdogan strayed too far from the secularism that is the backbone of the state. Turkish political analysts said Tuesday that the military was unlikely to intervene for now, thinking it had won a victory with the court decision. But some said the secular parties seem to be overestimating their popularity. Heightening the tension was the arrest of more than 500 protestors, who were marching in an unauthorized May Day rally unrelated to the current political impasse. Television networks broadcast images of police officers in riot gear beating demonstrators and spraying them with pepper gas. The Turkish stock market continued its fall, and Mr. Erdogan made public remarks to restore faith in it. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 IRANWIRE.WORLDNEWS > EU TELLS TURKISH ARMY TO STAY OUT OF POLITICS, + TURKEY MUST TAKE KIRKUK AND BASRA articles. * FREEREPUBLIC/WORLDNEWS > TURKISH VOTERS VOTE AGZ RADICALS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-05-02 01:50 |