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Turkish Press Review, 07-08-10

Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning

10.08.2007

FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS …

CONTENTS

  • [01] KOKTAN ELECTED PARLIAMENT SPEAKER
  • [02] CALENDAR FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO START TODAY
  • [03] BAYKAL: “IF THE AKP NAMES A COMPROMISE CANDIDATE, WE’LL BE IN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE”
  • [04] UNAKITAN: “OUR PRIMARY SURPLUS TARGET IS WITHIN REACH”
  • [05] DTP ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS
  • [06] TRAVEL MAGAZINES SING ISTANBUL’S PRAISES
  • [07] TOPTAN AND GUL’S CANDIDACY

  • [01] KOKTAN ELECTED PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

    As expected, the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) candidate was elected Parliament speaker yesterday. Koksal got 450 votes, while his sole opponent, from the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), got only 74. Independent Deputy Kamer Genc withdrew his bid for the post after learning that Toptan was the AKP’s candidate, expressing respect for the speaker-to-be. Later, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Toptan to congratulate him, along with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and outgoing Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc. During the meeting, Erdogan spoke about the upcoming presidential election, saying that the parties could be represented in Parliament in line with the mandate given to them by the people and that these parties could use their representative authority accordingly. In related news, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that he welcomed Toptan’s visits to political parties before he was elected. Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said that he wished Toptan success in his new post. /Turkiye-Sabah/

    [02] CALENDAR FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO START TODAY

    Following Koksal Toptan’s election to the Parliament speaker post, the calendar for the presidential election is due to start today. After Parliament’s Presidential Board is formed, the Advisory Board is set to determine a date for the presidential election. The Advisory Board Council is due to convene today and start the process tomorrow. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which wants to accelerate the process, has asked the opposition parties to name their presidential candidates. /Milliyet/

    [03] BAYKAL: “IF THE AKP NAMES A COMPROMISE CANDIDATE, WE’LL BE IN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE”

    Speaking yesterday with the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Koksal Toptan before he was elected Parliament speaker, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal praised the AKP’s choice of Toptan for the post. Stressing that the nation expects to see the same spirit of compromise in the upcoming presidential election, Baykal added that if the AKP names a compromise candidate, the CHP deputies would be in Parliament for the presidential vote. A CHP-led boycott of the April presidential vote led to a top court annulling the election, leading to elections for a new Parliament last month. /Milliyet/

    [04] UNAKITAN: “OUR PRIMARY SURPLUS TARGET IS WITHIN REACH”

    Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan yesterday said Turkey’s primary surplus target, set at 6.5% of the gross national product (GNP) in the public sector, would be reached without the need for any additional measures. Speaking to Reuters, Unakitan said that they can reach this goal by continuing to implement current policies and pledged there would be no concessions from fiscal discipline. /Hurriyet/

    [05] DTP ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS

    State Planning Organization (DTP) Undersecretary Ahmet Tiktik said yesterday that the DTP would provide support for the large-scale research projects, researcher manpower projects and controlled projects and that basic and academic projects falling outside this would be supported by the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK). Tiktik sent the project criteria, subject to review next year, to public institutions and organizations and universities. Stating that sharpening Turkey’s competitive edge in international markets and ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development were among Turkey’s basic aims, Tiktik said that doing research and development was important for reaching these goals. /Aksam/

    [06] TRAVEL MAGAZINES SING ISTANBUL’S PRAISES

    British travel magazine Business Traveler has a feature article on Istanbul in its July-August issue. The piece entitled “Istanbul al fresco” says that Istanbul is the place where East and West meet and emphasized the diversity of seasons in the cosmopolitan capital. In addition, Italian travel magazine Bell’Europe devotes 12 pages to Turkey in its July issue. The magazine says that Fethiye has the most beautiful coastline in all of Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/

    FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS …FROM THE COLUMNS …

    [07] TOPTAN AND GUL’S CANDIDACY

    BY MURAT YETKIN (RADIKAL)

    Columnist Murat Yetkin comments on Koksal Toptan’s being elected the new Parliament speaker yesterday and the upcoming presidential election. A summary of his column is as follows:

    “It was expected that Koksal Toptan would be elected Parliament speaker in the third round with the votes of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). But in fact this was achieved with the help of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) along with other members of the opposition. What Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after Toptan was elected had a direct bearing on the upcoming presidential election. He said it was an important step for the new Parliament to choose Toptan as its speaker with such high participation and 450 votes, adding he hoped to see more of the same. Considering these statements, can we say that Erdogan believes they may get similar results in the upcoming presidential election? It’s hard to say. Erdogan knows very well how thorny the process will be. What CHP leader Deniz Baykal said when Toptan visited him before being elected signaled this. Expressing his pleasure about Toptan as a compromise candidate, Baykal said that they hoped the same would happen for the presidential election and that they would lend their support to the AKP if it continues this spirit of compromise. What Baykal means is clear: He doesn’t want Abdullah Gul to run for president again. He implied that they could even vote for the AKP’s candidate if Erdogan doesn’t nominate Gul. Responding to this, however, Erdogan said that democracy wouldn’t let the people’s will be put aside, signaling that Toptan’s election won’t have a direct impact on the presidential race.

    Gul should still be a candidate, as he said both during and after last month’s general elections that he couldn’t ignore the nation’s will. Moreover, as long as Erdogan sticks to what he said on April 24, Gul’s candidacy is still valid. Erdogan never said that he renounced Gul’s candidacy. The messages of compromise Erdogan gave after the general elections led to this impression. But is it possible that Erdogan means a kind of compromise on the method of election? The election of the Parliament speaker was a compromise over the method. The ruling AKP didn’t go to the opposition parties with various names. They declared a candidate who the majority could agree on. Another factor is that since Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Bahceli announced that his party would be in Parliament for the presidential vote, the quorum of 367 in the first and second rounds of the presidential election is no longer a problem. Thus Gul or another candidate may win in the third round with 276 or more votes.”


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