TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
No. 32/13 14/2/13
1. Turkish and Israeli firms are reportedly
negotiating to carry natural gas from Leviathan to Turkey with pipelines
2.
Turkey’s Yildiz on the Republic of Cyprus’ oil exploration activities; he
confirmed that Turkey made warnings to giant energy companies; Yildiz: Sinop
nuke plant to cost $25 billion
3. Eroglu reiterates that he wants a time limit in the
Cyprus negotiations
4.
Erdogan warns of retaliation after blast
in Turkish-Syrian borders
5. Ustel: Agia Thekli chapel will be ready in June;
the works in Apostolos Andreas will start soon
6.
Babacan to attend the G-20 ministerial meeting in Moscow
7.
The opening of Agia Sophia for prayer to be discussed at the TGNA
8.
Bagis’ contacts in London
9. Turkish professor: progress in Turkey’s EU
accession course depends on Cyprus’ positive stance
10. AKP Deputy comments on a possible victory of DISY
chairman in the presidential elections
11. International education conference is taking place
in the occupied area of Cyprus
12. CTP nominates Kadri Fellahoglu as candidate in the
“municipal elections” in occupied Lefkosia; Efforts to cooperate with TDP
13.
More detentions of retired generals in relation to “post-modern” coup
14.
Turkey’s economy
15.
Figures reveal that AKP party ranks first with 7.5 million party members
1. Turkish and Israeli firms
are reportedly negotiating to carry natural gas from Leviathan to Turkey with
pipelines
Turkish Cypriot Kibris Postasi news website (14.02.13)
reports that Turkish Zorlu Group is holding negotiations in Tel Aviv, in order
to carry natural gas from the Israeli Exclusive Economic Zone in the Mediterranean with undersea pipelines to Turkey. Citing
information published in Israeli Haaretz newspaper, Kibris Postasi writes that
Zorlu Group is discussing to carry natural gas from the plot named Leviathan
and in case the project is materialized 8-10 billion cubic meters of natural
gas will be transferred to Turkey.
The Israeli paper has reportedly said that Zorlu
Group’s proposal was one of the “cheapest ways” in order to carry the Israeli
natural gas to the “main clients”. The frozen relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv are
said to constitute the biggest problem in front of this project, the paper
notes.
According to the
paper, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement yesterday
denying the information that negotiations are being held for transferring the
natural gas from Leviathan to Turkey.
(I/Ts.)
2. Turkey’s
Yildiz on the Republic
of Cyprus’ oil
exploration activities; he confirmed that Turkey made warnings to giant
energy companies; Yildiz: Sinop nuke plant to cost $25 billion
According
to illegal Bayrak television (13.02.13) the Turkish Minister for Energy and
Natural Resources Taner Yıldız has issued new warnings regarding the Greek
Cypriot side’s ongoing exploration activities for hydrocarbons off the coast of
Cyprus.
In
an interview broadcast on the Turkish State Television channel TRT, Yildiz said that Turkey would not remain a bystander
to any attempts by the Greek Cypriot side not to share equally with the Turkish
Cypriot side any hydrocarbons discovered.
Yıldız
repeated that the “Greek Cypriot Administration”, as he called the Republic of Cyprus, was carrying out exploration
activities in a “disputed economic exclusive zone” over which the “TRNC people”
shared rights.
He
said that failure to share equally any hydrocarbons discovered in the area with
the Turkish Cypriot side, would render the activities illegal and that Turkey would
not remain a bystander to this.
Evaluating
statements made by Greek Cypriot leaders that natural gas to be extracted from
the area could be transported to Europe via a
pipeline over Turkey,
Yıldız said that this could be possible under certain conditions. “Such move
could be possible if mutual political steps are taken. There is no obstacle for
the case to be transported over Turkey.
The most realistic route is to carry the gas over Turkey via a pipeline. Energy could
be used to overcome political deadlocks. Everyone would benefit in such a case”
he added.
Meanwhile,
Turkish daily Hurriyet (14.02.13) under the title: “Our main goal is to proceed
to the Mediterranean”, reports on statements by Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner
Yildiz who confirmed that they made warnings to the energy giant companies who
had signed agreement on oil and natural gas exploration activities with the
“Greek Cypriot administration”, as he called the Republic of Cyprus, adding
that Barbaros ship, might be offshore Cyprus in one month.
Yildiz
called also the “Greek Cypriot administration”, as he called the Republic of Cyprus, to accept that the natural gas
to be extracted belongs to the whole of Cyprus and said: “Accept that the
natural gas to be extracted belongs to the whole of Cyprus and we will legalize it.
Let’s market this legal natural gas via Turkey”, Yildiz said.
Reiterating
that “Greek Cypriot administration’s activities” are contrary to the
international law, Yildiz said: “The Greek Cypriot administration has two
choices. Either will continue with this lawlessness, or will continue its
activities in a legal way and accept that the whole of Cyprus has rights
from the natural gas to be discovered(…)”.
Referring
to the new seismic ship that Turkey
recently bought, Yildiz signaled that Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa ship might change
its route and in one month it might be offshore Cyprus, as he said.
Yildiz
referred to the 400 million dollars agreement that Turkey will sign today with Shell
envisaging explorations in the Black sea. “We
are paying importance both, to the explorations in the Black
Sea and the Mediterranean. For
this reason, we will take a final decision on the issue of the ship’s route in
two weeks. At the moment it seems that our priority is the Black
Sea; however, we will evaluate everything in this meeting. If we
decide that the first route of the ship will be the Mediterranean that means
that in one month the ship will be around Cyprus. Nevertheless, this ship will
by all means, go to Cyprus and start research activities”, Yildiz added.
Also,
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (14.02.13) reports that Taner Yıldız said
that Turkey
is getting new offers for its second nuclear plant.
Speaking
at a press conference on February 12, Taner Yıldız said that Turkey’s second
nuclear power plant, slated to be built in the northern province of Sinop, will cost around
$25 billion, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister.
“The
second nuclear power plant will require an investment worth between $22 billion
and $25 billion,” he said during the Turkish National Committee of World Energy
Council conference.
“Turkey needs to
diversify its energy resources with sources such as nuclear power. Several
countries have asked to build the nuclear power plant, which will possess four
units”, he said. Yıldız underlined that they had received new offers from
countries and companies as the competition heats up.
“The
country generated 4,100 more megawatts of power last year, bringing the total
to 58,000 megawatts”, he said. “Turkey’s
energy demands are increasing because it is a growing country”, said Yıldız,
adding that they aimed to satisfy such needs through domestic renewable energy
resources.
The Minister
also said crude oil and natural gas, which were imported, should be provided by
domestic resources, adding that an oil exploration fund had risen 13 times in
the last 10 years. “We will find oil, if
it exists [in Turkey],”
he said. “While a barrel of oil cost $22 10 years ago, it has jumped to around
$122 today.”
Yıldız
said that six wells that had been capped with concrete in the 1980s because
they had been deemed dry, had now been reopened and were producing between 100
and 500 barrels of oil.
“Exploration
has begun in south-eastern provinces like Diyarbakir, Adıyaman and Sanlıurfa
and will soon begin once more in others”, he said.
AK
3. Eroglu reiterates that he
wants a time limit in the Cyprus
negotiations
Illegal Bayrak television (13.02.13) broadcast that
the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has argued that whoever is elected as
the new leader of the Republic of Cyprus on Sunday’s presidential elections, “the
important thing are the policies that will be adopted”.
Addressing the so-called 2nd Cyprus
International Conference on Educational Research organized jointly by the Ataturk
Teachers’ Academy and the “Cyprus Educational Sciences Association” yesterday, Eroglu
said that the Turkish side supported the idea of quartet or quintet meetings
with all the sides concerned.
“We want to reach a solution with the participation of
Turkey,
Greece
and Britain”,
he argued.
He reiterated the allegation that it was impossible for
the Greek Cypriots to be motivated, as he said, towards a solution as long as
the negotiations continued open ended.
Claiming that the continuation of the current
situation on the island did not pose a problem for the Greek Cypriot side, Eroglu
alleged that the same could not be said for the Turkish Cypriots, who allegedly
suffered under so-called international embargoes and isolation.
Noting that the Turkish Cypriot side was against an
open-ended process “as and when the negotiations resumed”, Eroglu alleged that the
duty which fell on the international community was “to both motivate the Greek
Cypriots towards accepting a solution and lift the unjust embargoes imposed on
the Turkish Cypriots”.
“The Turkish Cypriot side desires a mutually
acceptable solution that will safeguard the interests of the Turkish Cypriot
people”, Eroglu alleged.
Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (14.02.13)
refers to the same statements and reports that Erogu argued that they were
looking for an agreement, based on the so-called realities and accepted by both
sides.
Referring to the illegal universities in the occupied
area of Cyprus,
he said that they have eight “universities” and 55 thousand students. Eroglu
argued that they should evaluate well their “higher education” and define a
higher target. Noting that they should increase the number of “universities”
and students, Eroglu wished that “one day the possibility of seeing 100
thousand students” in the occupied area of Cyprus is created.
(I/Ts.)
4. Erdogan warns of retaliation after blast in Turkish-Syrian borders
Turkish
daily Hurriyet Daily News (14.02.13) reports that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan warned yesterday that Turkey will not hesitate to retaliate following a
deadly blast at the Turkish-Syrian border on February 11 that killed 14 people.
“I
saw the Syrian National Coalition’s claims in the papers today. I’m not sure if
these are true,” Erdogan said in Ankara
in reference to the group’s claim that they were the target of the blast.
Asked
if the target was Turkey,
Erdogan said: “There is no doubt. If this is happening inside Turkey’s
borders, [it means] some want to drag Turkey into this and provoke it,
but we are not worried. We want the [aftermath of the] incident to settle down
and then [we will] take action thoroughly. But I want you to know this. Nothing
will go unanswered,” Erdogan said.
One
man was taken into custody over alleged connections to the border gate blast
that killed 14 people, but Erdogan said the number of detainees might increase.
“I haven’t received the most recent information yet, but, there are some
detentions and this number is likely to increase,” he said.
The
man allegedly took one of the unidentified suspects into his vehicle after the
suspect got out of the van in which the explosives were placed. The other two
suspects then advanced toward the Syrian side of the border.
The
person in custody, identified as Tamer A., took the suspect about 35 kilometers
into the city, before dropping him off near the center of Hatay. Tamer
reportedly said he did not know who the person was.
Erdogan
said that the Interior Ministry and National Intelligence Organization (MİT)
are working on the case, adding that he hoped the inquiry would end as soon as
possible so that an official announcement can be made.
5. Ustel: Agia Thekli chapel
will be ready in June; the works in Apostolos Andreas will start soon
Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (14.02.13)
reports that Unal Ustel, self-styled minister of tourism, culture and
environment of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of
Cyprus, has said that the construction of Agia (Saint) Thekli chapel at
occupied Vokolida beach, will be completed in the beginning of June.
In statements yesterday, he noted that tourists show
great interest for such historic buildings and therefore they will visit the
area to see the chapel. He recalled that the chapel had been demolished during
the construction of the Noah’s Ark Hotel at occupied Vokolida’s beach. Responding
to a question regarding the expenses for the construction of the chapel, he
said that one part will be paid by the hotel and the rest by his so-called
ministry. “We think that it will cost 700 thousand Turkish liras”, he noted.
Referring to the restoration of Apostolos (Saint)
Andreas Monastery in occupied Karpasia
Peninsula, Ustel said
that they will start working soon and that the Greek Cypriots will pay only the
money for the construction of the church. He argued that he could not
understand the Greek Cypriot reaction after the statement issued by Turkish
Cypriot leader Eroglu’s office that the Turkish side would restore the
monastery. “The project we implement is their project”, he claimed adding that
they also pay the money for this project and that the Greek Cypriot Orthodox
Church is paying only for the restoration of the monastery.
He went on and said: “When I go there I see that it is
difficult even to walk there. Therefore, we talked and decided to restore the
place and give it to tourism. We could not leave our environment in this
manner... We will build a beautiful cafeteria opposite Apostolos Andrea
monastery. Shops will be built and there will be a parking place opposite these
shops. The vehicles will park in the parking place and will not go in front of
the church. The street sellers are going away because shops will be built. We
will illuminate the area… Moreover, we will restore the rooms there and furnish
them according to their original form. Those who wish can stay overnight
there…”
(I/Ts.)
6. Babacan to attend the G-20 ministerial meeting in Moscow
Ankara
Anatolia news agency (13.02.13) reported that the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister
Ali Babacan will travel to Russian capital of Moscow to attend a G-20 Ministerial Meeting
on Thursday.
Babacan
will deliver a speech at the "High Level Public-Private Sector
Conference" organized by the Russian Ministry of Finance and the Institute of International Finance.
Babacan
will return to Turkey
on Saturday.
7. The opening of Agia Sophia for prayer to be
discussed at the TGNA
Under
the title: “This is what 75 million want”, Turkish daily Milliyet (14.02.13)
report that Halil Urun, AKP’s Deputy in Afyon Karahisar and also chairman of
the Committee of Petition at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM),
expressed full support to the demand submitted by citizens, as he said, to the
Committee of Petition for the opening of Agia Sophia for prayer. “Agia Sophia
should certainly open for prayer, 75.000 people want this”, said Urun, adding
that the Committee of Petition will discuss this, in a meeting that will take
place the forthcoming days. He added that the Committee will discuss and decide
during this meeting whether the Agia Sophia will open for prayer or not.
AK
8. Bagis’ contacts in London
Ankara
Anatolia news agency (13.02.13) reported from London that Turkey's EU Minister Egemen Bagis
said that both Turkish and British Prime Minister wanted a better and stronger Europe.
“Neither
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor British Premier David Cameron said
they wanted to be out of the EU”, Bagis said while delivering a speech at
think-tank RUSI, the Royal United Services Institute, on Wednesday.
Expressing
pleasure over Britain's
support to Turkey's
EU membership, Bagis said that Turkey's
getting good relations with its close geography did not mean that it would be
distant from EU target and western world.
Bagis
also expressed pleasure that France
was determined to bring a new dynamism in Turkish-EU relations, and decided to
lift obstacles before the 22nd chapter heading.
Also,
speaking to reporters prior to his departure from London, Bagis underlined: "while it was
a short visit, our visit to London
was very beneficial."
Bagis
said that the London Mayor Boris Johnson promised to fully support Istanbul in its bid to
host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. "I had a chance to speak with my
counterpart in London
as well as with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. We had a chance to speak on Turkey's EU
process with members of the House of Lords and House of Commons," Bagis
stressed.
9. Turkish professor: progress
in Turkey’s
EU accession course depends on Cyprus’
positive stance
Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper (14.02.13)
reports that Prof. Dr. Cagri Erhan, head of Ankara University’s European
Communities Research and Implementation Center (ATAUM) has said that the
progress in the negotiating chapters in Turkey’s accession negotiations with
the EU, depends on the development of Turkey’s relations with France and the
positive stance of “south Cyprus”, as he described the Republic of Cyprus.
In statements to Anatolia
news agency, Erhan noted: “However, lifting the blockage on the eight chapters
which have been blocked with a decision by the EU, Council is directly depended
on which shape the Cyprus
problem will take”.
Erhan said that as long as Turkey does not open its sea and
airports to Cyprus
“it seems a little bit difficult to convince the 27 EU member states and lift
the decision of the Council.
Referring to the blocked negotiating chapters, Erhan
pointed out that even if the Europeans said to Turkey “let us start the
negotiations”, only three chapters are ready. “And in some of them, there are
some preconditions which Turkey
finds it difficult to implement”, he noted.
(I/Ts.)
10. AKP Deputy comments on a possible victory of
DISY chairman in the presidential elections
Turkish Cypriot daily
Gunes newspaper (14.02.13) reports that Emrullah Isler, deputy in Ankara with
the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has said that after the 1974 Turkish
invasion and occupation of Cyprus the efforts for finding a solution on the
island intensified, but the Greek Cypriot side has allegedly rejected all the
initiatives by the United Nations and the Turkish side.
In statements
yesterday at the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Isler referred also to the
forthcoming presidential elections in the Republic of Cyprus and alleged that
serious concerns on the issue of the solution are created due to a possible
victory in the elections by the Democratic Rally Party (DISY), which, he said,
is the party of the members of EOKA organization that allegedly created the Cyprus
problem.
He reiterated the
Turkish view that the Cyprus
problem is a national issue for them. He pointed out to the importance of this
problem not to be turned into a political issue and of creating a
consensus.
(I/Ts.)
11. International education
conference is taking place in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (14.02.13)
reports that the so-called 2nd Cyprus International Conference on
Educational Research, which is organized jointly by the Ataturk Teachers’
Academy and the “Cyprus Educational Sciences Association”, started yesterday in
the occupied area of Cyprus.
Addressing the conference, Dr. Hasan Ali Bicak,
chairman of the so-called Higher Education Planning, Evaluation, Accreditation
and Coordination Council (YODAK), argued that “north Cyprus”, as he described the
occupied area of the Republic
of Cyprus, deserves to be
described as “island of universities” with its eight “universities” and more
than 55 thousand students. He noted that the breakaway regime has the capacity
to organize an international conference with the participation of 300 persons
from 21 countries. He argued that the best reply to those who say that the
“universities” in the occupied area of Cyprus are illegal is the membership
of “YODAK” in two international organizations which are in the center of Europe.
Bicak said that “YODAK” is following the issue of the
accreditation of the programs of the “universities” and added that the “TRNC”
universities are accredited in the higher education of Europe,
Britain
and Germany.
Meanwhile, illegal Eastern Mediterranean
University’s (DAU) deputy
rector, Halil Nadiri said that the 300 participants in the conference will
present the developments in the field of education with 264 reports.
Moreover, Huseyin Uzunboylu, deputy rector of illegal
Near East University’s (YDU) Ataturk Educational Sciences Faculty and chairman
of the “Cyprus Educational Sciences Association”, said that the “Cyprus
Educational Sciences Association” has 127 members and it is a full member of
the European Educational Sciences Institute. He alleged that two separate
peoples and two separate education systems exist in Cyprus and argued that a provision
for two separate educational systems is included in the 1960 agreements.
(I/Ts.)
12. CTP nominates Kadri Fellahoglu as candidate in
the “municipal elections” in occupied Lefkosia; Efforts to cooperate with TDP
Turkish Cypriot daily
Kibris newspaper (14.02.13) reports that the Republican Turkish Party’s (CTP)
central administrative committee decided unanimously last night to nominate
Kadri Fellahoglu as candidate in the “municipal elections” to be held on 7
April in the occupied part of Lefkosia. The paper writes that the Democratic
Party (DP) has already nominated Mustafa Arabacioglu and the Social Democracy
Party (TDP) Dr. Suphi
Hudaoglu.
Citing information
from reliable sources, the paper writes that the CTP will wait to officially
announce its decision regarding Fellahoglu’s candidature after a meeting it
will hold with the TDP to discuss
cooperation between the two parties in the “municipal elections”. Only the
National Unity Party (UBP) has not
decided about his candidate, notes the paper, adding that the final date for
determining the candidatures is 1st March.
(I/Ts.)
13. More detentions of retired generals in relation to
“post-modern” coup
Turkish
daily Hurriyet Daily News (13.02.13) reported that four retired generals were
arrested on February 13 in relation to the ongoing investigation for the
“post-modern coup” of Feb.
28, 1997. The Ankara
chief prosecutor had earlier in the day asked for the arrest of five retired
generals questioned by the court.
The
arrested retired generals were identified as Orhan Yoney, Koksal Karabay, Hayri
Bulent Alpkaya and Altac Atılan. Another retired general, Ersin Yılmaz, was
released under probationary conditions, Anatolia
news agency has reported.
In
early January, former Chief of General Staff General İsmail Hakkı Karadayı was
released after his testimony in the same investigation on condition of control.
The
“post-modern” coup, or the February 28 process, refers to a military
intervention that forced late ex-Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to resign.
Suspects who have so far been detained in relation to the February 28
investigation were sent to court on charges of “attempting to annul the
government of the Republic
of Turkey; or attempting
to partially or entirely block the government from performing its duties.”
“The
judiciary is fulfilling its own duty and as the executive [body], we are doing
our part,” PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in response to reporters’ questions
about developments in the ongoing investigation.
14. Turkey’s
economy
Turkish
daily Today’s Zaman (13.02.13) reported that Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said
on Wednesday that Turkey's current account deficit (CAD) took a major dip last
year from $77.2 billion in 2011 to $48.9 billion in 2012, a sign that the
government's “rebalancing” efforts have paid off amidst a year of disappointing
growth.
In a
written statement released by the Finance Ministry, Simsek said the annual
trade deficit for 2012 dropped by $28.3 billion, or 36.7%, over 2011, a sign
that the central bank's “tighter monetary policies have been successful in bringing
down the trade deficit”, as he said.
The
central bank kept borrowing costs high in the first three quarters of 2012 to
combat inflation and dampen domestic spending on imports -- measures which were
helped along by already slowing domestic spending and a surge in exports.
Also,
Turkey’s
Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Wednesday to reporters on the way back
from a visit to Libya,
that the economy grew by just 2.5% in 2012 -- below Ankara's earlier predictions of over 3 % in
the year.
Caglayan
said that the economy wouldn't be on par with earlier expectations and said
that it was a sign that the economy needed to “step on the gas” in 2013.
As
in past months, the Minister focused on Turkey's record export performance
in 2012 -- which totaled $152 billion during the year -- as a sign that the
economy was handily weathering the downturn. “The reason for the better than
expected [CAD] numbers in 2012 was our success in exporting goods and
services,” Caglayan said to the Anatolia news
agency. But though exports in 2012 were indeed 13.1% higher than in 2011, much
of that increase was driven by the gold trade to Iran, which may have bought as much
as $11 billion in gold from Turkey
over the year. In early February, Caflayan said he expected that number to
decrease in 2013, hinting that the Iranian demand might slow.
(…)
Also,
according to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (14.02.13) Mukim Oztekin, the President
of Turkey’s Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency announced yesterday that Turkish
banking sector expanded by 12.6 % last year, as the size of total assets
reached 1.3 billion Turkish Liras, mostly due to the growth rate in the second
term of the year
“Sector
growth, which was 4.6 in the first half of the year, jumped by 7.6 in the
second half due to a rehabilitation in the risk perception of Turkey, the
acceleration of capital inflow and the decreasing interest rates, as well as
the surging economic growth trend,” Oztekin said during his speech at a meeting
of the Economy Journalists’ Association in Ankara.
Praising
the outlook of the sector over the last year, he said that while the
traditional strengths of the sector were surging at a higher rate, the
problematic notions had also been getting better.
The
sector earned 23.6 million liras in net profits last year, a 19.2% rise on the
previous year. Some 37 of the 49 banks operating in the local sector increased
their profits last year, as their interest income surged by 21.7 billion liras
while their interest expenses increased by 8.8 billion liras. “Net profit for
the period has surged by 3.8 billion liras compared to the same period of the
previous year, due to the increase in the net interest margin. This is despite
the retreat of the non-interest income-expense balance,” Oztekin added.
“The
strong of outlook is mainly prompted by the increase in equity capitals”, he
said. The banking sector’s equities increased by 26% to 182 billion liras,
surpassing the growth rate of the sector assets in general.
“In
2010, Turkish banks raised almost 50% of their funds from European banks, while
in 2012 this plummeted to around 35%. During the same period, shares in the
Gulf countries’, Japanese and Swiss banks rose,” Oztekin said.
He
also shared his reflections on the projections for the sector for 2013, saying
that an increase in the size of assets of around 16% was expected, while the
net interest margin and equity capitals were expected to remain steady at 2012
levels.
15. Figures reveal that AKP party ranks first with 7.5
million party members
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (14.02.13) the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) currently has more than 7.5 million members, surpassing
all other political parties, according to recent figures released by the High
Court of Appeals.
Data
gathered by Anatolia news agency showed that some
10 million out of more than 77 million citizens are members of a political
party.
The
main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
has 953,416 members, while 363,393 people are registered as members of the
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The number of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) members stands at 44,156.
The
office said there were 71 active political parties in the country, but added
that 15 of these parties did not have any members.
According
to election board figures, nearly 50.2 million people had the right to vote in
the general elections of 2011. A total of 42.8 million valid votes were cast in
the election.
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