TURKISH RIGHT-SIDED OPPOSITION PARTIES TO "HELP" ERDOGAN IN ENSURING NECESSARY NUMBER OF DEPUTIES IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 18 2007

ANKARA, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached an agreement with leaders of Motherland
and Right Way Grand National Assembly’s opposition right-sided parties
to provide the necessary number of deputies, 367, in the parliament
in the forthcoming presidential elections.

The biggest parliamentary opposition faction, Republican-People’s
Party, organized a rally on April 14 in Ankara with participation of
nearly 1 mln people, during which the leaders of the parties expressed
their indignation and protest to Erdogan’s nomination for the post of
country’s President and demanded to see "a secular, not pro-Islamic
citizen" on President’s post.

According to the Sabah Turkish newspaper, Erdogan declared that in the
formed conditions there is a danger in connection with nomination of
his candidature on the post of the President. "We will not run risks,"
he said.

To recap, nomination of candidates for presidency in Turkey started
on April 16. Starting April 26, the Turkish parliament should elect
head of the state within 20 days. The elections will be held on May
22. The deadline of registration is April 25 and the Prime Minsiter
declared that he will give a final answer before that day.