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“Today,
a deep wound has been opened in the conscience of the nation,”
Erdogan
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ANKARA,
September 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In a move likely to
further dampen the country's chances of joining the European Union,
Turkey's electoral board Friday, September 20, 2002, barred moderate
Islamic leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan from running in November's general
elections due to a past conviction.
The
decision, which is final, delivered a major blow to Erdogan's party and
destroyed the former Istanbul mayor's hopes of becoming Prime Minister
following the November 3 poll.
"The
board decided by a majority of votes to reject Erdogan's application to
stand in the elections on the grounds that he is not eligible to do
so," Turkey's electoral board said in a brief statement carried by
the Anatolia news agency.
The
board's decision ended months of debate over whether the 48-year-old
politician could run in the general election, despite a past conviction
on sedition charges.
The
electoral board also barred Necmettin Erbakan, Turkey's former Islamic
Prime Minister, and Murat Bozlak, the leader of the country's largest
pro-Kurdish party, Hadep, from standing for election.
Under
pressure from the army, Erbakan resigned after a stormy year in power.
Erdogan,
whose opposition Justice and Development Party (AK) was leading in
opinion polls, described the decision as a blow to democracy, and vowed
to continue to fight for greater freedom, according to Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
"This
is a day that will leave its mark on the history of Turkish democracy.
Today, a deep wound has been opened in the conscience of the
nation," Erdogan, flanked by senior aides, told a press conference
at party headquarters.
"No
one should despair... this wrong decision will be corrected" on
election day, the AK leader said.
His
televised speech was often interrupted by loud applause from supporters
packing the hall, who chanted "Turkey is proud of you" and
"Prime Minister Tayyip".
The
charismatic former football player says his party is fully in favor of
membership of the EU and, in power, would maintain strong ties with
America.
Erdogan
served four months in jail in 1999 for "inciting religious
hatred" after reciting a poem with Islamic undertones at a
political rally.
Under
Turkish electoral rules, his conviction bars him from running in
elections. He challenged these rules, citing recent changes in the
Turkish penal code.
In
his bid to run in the elections, he won an initial court decision
expunging his criminal record, but this ruling was overturned by the
appeals court on Monday.
The
electoral board justified its decision by saying those convicted of
sedition could not run in polls even if they were amnestied.
The
decision is a major setback for the AK party, which is now expected to
decide whether to go to the elections with Erdogan still at the helm or
to replace him.
Even
if Erdogan stays on as the AK chairman, he has no chance of becoming
Prime Minister should his party come to power with 25 percent of the
vote, as suggested by recent polls. A Prime Minister must also be a
member of parliament.
Erdogan's
clear lead in the polls has been a cause of widespread concern in the
predominantly Muslim country where the powerful army is apt to crack
down on Islamic parties to protect the secular state system.
Erdogan,
who in the past harshly criticized the secular system, says he has now
changed his views and rejects the term "Islamic" used by
critics to describe him.
But
many in Turkey doubt he has fully broken with his past.
