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Turkish
PM Hints at Possible Early Elections
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“I
believe early elections would be wrong, but if they become
compulsory under these circumstances, we will have to
comply”
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ANKARA,
July 10 (News Agencies) - Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
admitted for the first time in a newspaper interview Wednesday, July
10, that elections could be brought forward after a wave of
resignations left him isolated and exacerbated the country’s
economic woes.
Ecevit’s
concession came after more than 30 legislators, including six
ministers, defected from his Democratic Left Party (DSP) in the past
two days and his own coaliton partners threw their weight behind calls
to bring elections forward from their scheduled date in 2004, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
In
an interview to the mass-circulation Turkish daily newspaper, Miliyet,
Ecevit reiterated his view that early elections would disrupt efforts
to battle a severe economic crisis and meet E.U. demands for reforms
to join the 15-nation bloc.
But
the 77-year-old head of government said that his far-right coalition
partner, Devlet Bahceli of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), told
him elections were inevitable.
“I
believe early elections would be wrong, but if they become compulsory
under these circumstances, we will have to comply,” Ecevit told the
newspaper.
“We,
the three chairmen (of the governing coalition) may determine a new
election date. This may not be April 2004, but another date brought
forward,” he added.
However,
the prime minister said he saw no need for him to resign.
“Bahceli
said that I should continue as prime minister regardless of the number
of seats the DSP has in parliament,” Ecevit said.
The
veteran leader came to his office Wednesday - for the first time in 67
days - to chair a cabinet meeting which is likely to be dominated by
the crucial situation of the coalition and election talk.
Ecevit
has been away from his office due to health problems since early May.
The
defections - triggered by Ecevit’s rejection to step down and
spearheaded by Husamettin Ozkan, his former right-hand man - have
ended the DSP’s majority in the 550-seat parliament and put in
second place after the MHP.
“He
(Bahceli) said the government should stay in power and go to elections
under my charge,” Ecevit said.
Mesut
Yilmaz of the Motherland Party (ANAP), the third coalition partner,
meanwhile, suggested Tuesday that polls could be held even in late
September.
Turkey's
jittery markets have crashed - since Ecevit fell ill - over the
possibility of early polls, which they fear would derail the economic
austerity program backed by massive loans from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), and a government deadlock over key reforms
required under the E.U. bid.
Bahceli
made a surprise proposal at the weekend and urged early elections in
November, and the party launched a parliamentary procedure to recall
deputies from summer recess on September 1 to vote on elections.
On
Wednesday, the MHP submitted to the parliament speaker’s office a
proposal signed by 125 MPs for call lawmakers to an extraordinary
session devoted solely to snap polls.
Ecevit
has so far remained mute on the exodus from the government that has
left it on the brink of collapse, but named new ministers to posts
left vacant by the defectors.
The
much-expected scenario on the chaotic political scene - which is also
highly anticipated by the bruised markets - is a new political party
headed by Ozkan which will also involve Foreign Minister Ismail Cem
and Economy Minister Kemal Dervis.
There
has been a flurry of talks between the three politicians since
Tuesday, but nothing concrete to reveal their future political plans.
According
to public surveys, early elections would prove detrimental to the
ruling parties, whose popularity has nose-dived due to severe economic
woes, but help popular Islamist leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which
would almost certainly upset the army-led secular elite of the mainly
Muslim country.
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