TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No.155/13 17-19/08/2013
1.
Fire in occupied Limnitis burns 1000 hectares of land; Eroglu says this is the
third fire in Limnitis starting in government-controlled area
2.
CTP-BG decides for its possible “partner”; CTP and DP disagree on the Cyprus
problem; Erdogan meets with UBP’s
presidential candidate
3.
Talat: Cyprus problem is the source of all problems in the country; Eroglu does
not support the solution
4.
Kucuk: the merging of UBP and DP
into a single centre right party is impossible
5.
TDP discusses holding a congress;
Ozyigit says he might run for chairman; Names of other candidates are discussed
6.
Talat said that only in the occupied part of Cyprus 44% of its population was
not born in Cyprus
7.
Young people and children constitute 53% of occupied area’s population;
Unemployment rate was 9.9% in 2012
8.
Erdogan accused the Egyptian authorities of administering “state terrorism”
9.
Turkish government furious against OIC chief, calls for resignation
10.
Ruling AKP, BDP in row over Kurdish peace bid
11.
CHP visits abroad spotlights on foreign policy differences with government
12.
AKP opens office in Brussels
13.
Parties shaping their local election candidates
1.
Fire in occupied Limnitis burns 1000 hectares of land; Eroglu says this is
the third fire in Limnitis starting in government-controlled area
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(19.08.13) reports that a fire at occupied Limnitis area has burned around 1000
hectares of land and destroyed thousands of trees and animals. It is said that
the area that has been turned into ashes equals to 925 football fields. Around
200 thousand cypress trees, pine trees and locust trees, which had been planted
13-14 years ago, were burned. The fire started the day before yesterday at an
area known as “Mylos tou Mavrou” near Pyrgos village in the
government-controlled area of the island and passed into the buffer zone and
occupied Limnitis area.
According to the paper, the flames,
which surrounded Limnitis due to the strong winds in the area, sounded alarm in
the “entire country”. Citizens, the occupation army and the “forestry
department” exerted efforts to put out the fire. A helicopter from Turkey also
contributed in these efforts upon the daylight.
The Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis
Eroglu visited the area yesterday and attended a briefing on the situation with
the commander of the so-called security forces, major general Baki Kavun, the
commander of the 39th mechanized division, major general Ibrahim
Yilmaz and other officials. Afterwards Eroglu toured the area.
In his statements, Eroglu said that this
is the third time that a similar fire broke out and argued that in all three
times the fire started from Pyrgos village in the “south”, as he described the
government controlled area of Cyprus, and was directed towards the “TRNC”, the
occupied area of the island.
He went on and claimed: “Even if we have
some worries and suspicions here, I do not want to make a comment until this is
proved”. He said that they should debate the issue of whether or not this
situation was a coincidence or it has been deliberately caused.
Eroglu said that in the past there have
been joint efforts of putting out fires in the buffer zone and added that teams
of the United Nations tried to extinguish the fire at Pyrgos village, but when
the fire passed into the occupied area of Cyprus, they abandoned the area.
In statements on the issue, self-styled
prime minister, Sibel Siber said that the fire was taken under control at 02.00
hours in the morning and that the helicopters [from Turkey] are still waiting
at illegal Tymvou airport. She said that around 1000 hectares of land have been
turned into ashes.
Meanwhile, the self-styled minister of
agriculture and natural resources, Sami Dayioglu said that it would take ten
years to revive the nature in the area. He said that they should urgently
decide to purchase a fire-fighting helicopter.
(I/Ts.)
2.
CTP-BG decides for its possible “partner”; CTP and DP disagree on the Cyprus
problem; Erdogan meets with UBP’s
presidential candidate
Under the title “They will announce the
party with which they agree”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.08.13)
reports that Asim Akansoy, general secretary of the Republican Turkish Party –
United Forces (CTP-BG), has said that they were waiting today in writing, the
evaluation of the meetings they had held within the framework of establishing a
“coalition government”, with National Unity Party (UBP)
and the Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG), adding that they would
discuss it tonight at CTP’s council.
Akansoy said that tonight CTP-BG will
determine the party with which it will hold discussions on establishing a
“government” for the next five days. He added that if a result is not achieved,
they will hold meetings with the other party.
According to the paper, the DP-UG’s
general secretary, Bengu Sonya submitted his party’s evaluation yesterday,
while UBP’s general secretary, Necdet
Numan is expected to do this today in the morning.
Meanwhile, Kibris (17.08.13) reported
that delegations from the CTP-BG and DP-UG held a two-hour meeting on Friday.
CTP-BG’s delegations submitted documents on various internal and external
issues during the meeting.
In statements after the meeting,
CTP-BG’s chairman, Ozkan Yorgancioglu said that they have views which coincide
on internal issues with the DP-UG chairman Serdar Denktas, but they have
different views on the Cyprus problem.
On his part, Serdar Denktas said that
they would not prevent the negotiating process on the Cyprus problem, but added
that they conveyed to CTP-BG’s delegation the view of DP-UG that the
negotiations should be attached to a timetable.
Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika
newspaper (19.08.13) reports that the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has invited Huseyin Ozgurgun, the only candidate for the presidency of
the UBP during the party’s
forthcoming congress, to Ankara. According to some information, writes Afrika,
Ozgurgun was expected to depart for Ankara yesterday and hold a meeting with
Erdogan today. It is alleged that they will discuss a “new road map”.
(I/Ts.)
3.
Talat: Cyprus problem is the source of all problems in the country; Eroglu does
not support the solution
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(19.08.13) reports that the former Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat has
described the Cyprus problem as “the source of all problems in the country” and
noted that this should not be forgotten.
In statements on a television program,
Talat said that in case non-solution continued in Cyprus there would be a lot
of crises and the Turkish Cypriots would continuously ask money from Turkey. He
noted that priority must be given to the solution of the problem.
Talat said that the relations of the
Turkish Cypriots with Turkey are at their worst level since 2010. Arguing that
Turkey is not their enemy, Talat expressed the view that through good relations
and dialogue many problems could be solved.
Talat reiterated his view that the
National Unity Party (UBP) and the
Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG) have the same mentality and argued
that the DP is under Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu’s custody today.
Talat said that Eroglu does not support
the solution of the Cyprus problem. Talat pointed out that CTP knows better
than anyone that Eroglu’s mentality is that “the non-solution is the solution”
in the Cyprus problem and wondered why the CTP could not establish a “collation
government” with the UBP which had
been cleared from Eroglu, if it can establish a “coalition” with the DP which
is under Eroglu’s custody.
Talat argued that he has been criticized
very badly, mercilessly and perfidiously during the process of establishing a
“coalition government” in the occupied area of Cyprus, and that he has been
almost declared as Turkey’s spokesman. Noting that the views he expresses are
his own evaluations, Talat said that he has discussed this issue neither with
Prime Minister Erdogan nor with the Turkish “ambassador” to occupied Nicosia.
Talat argued that making policy through
Facebook is tantamount to indiscipline and ugliness. He said that this ugliness
contaminated the CTP as well, adding that discipline must be achieved in the
party or else very negative developments might be experienced.
(I/Ts.)
4.
Kucuk: the merging of UBP and
DP into a single centre right party is impossible
According to illegal Bayrak television
(online, 16.08.13), the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) İrsen Küçük attributed the drop in the UBP’s votes in last month’s “early general
elections” to the hectic term experienced by the party.
He said that the process leading to and
following the UBP congress and the
“municipal elections”, had taken its toll on the party.
Evaluating the “election results” and
the ongoing efforts to form a “coalition government”, the outgoing UBP leader İrsen Küçük said that the UBP had lost votes to the Democrat Party (DP) as a
result of the interference of the Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu.
Ruling out the possibility of the UBP merging with any other political party, Küçük
said that “deputies” could be transferred to other parties, but the merging of
the UBP and DP parties into a
single centre right party, was not possible.
Touching upon ongoing efforts to form a
“coalition government”, Kucuk said that it was not numbers but the intention
which was important. He expressed the view that the best “coalition model”
would be between the Republican Turkish Party – United Forces (CTP-BG) and the UBP.
Commenting on his meeting with the CTP
leader Özkan Yorgancıoğlu on Friday, Küçük said that the meeting had been
conducted in a positive atmosphere.
Also describing the nomination of a
single candidate for the UBP’s
upcoming extraordinary congress as an important development, the UBP leader said that their aim was to win back the
party’s strength, bringing the UBP
back on its feet. Meanwhile, the UBP
will be holding its extraordinary party congress on the 31st of
August at 11am.
5.
TDP discusses holding a
congress; Ozyigit says he might run for chairman; Names of other candidates are
discussed
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(17.08.13) reported that Cemal Ozyigit, general secretary of the Social
Democracy Party (TDP) has said
that the council of the party will meet on Tuesday night, 20 August, 2013 to
discuss when it will hold its congress. In statements to illegal Bayrak
television, on Friday, Ozyigit said that he could run for candidate for the
post of the chairman of the party and added that they will hold a congress
within one or two months.
Commenting on TDP’s
chairman Mehmet Cakici’s statement that he would resign, Ozyigit noted that
they plan to hold their congress in September or October, regardless of whether
the resignation mechanism works or not. He argued that the TDP should be restructured and added that some
people within the party, supported his candidature for the presidency.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis
newspaper (17.08.13) reported that other candidates for the same post were
Mehmet Harmanci, self-styled minister of tourism, environment and culture in
Sibel Siber’s temporary “government”, and Dr. Suphi Hudaoglu, TDP’s candidate in the last “local elections” for
the post of the “mayor” in occupied Nicosia.
(I/Ts.)
6.
Talat said that only in the occupied part of Cyprus 44% of its population
was not born in Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (17.08.13)
reported that former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, commenting on the
latest results of the “population census” in the occupied part of Cyprus in a
television programme, said that only the 56% of the population was born in
Cyprus and the rest, 44%, was not born in Cyprus, adding that such an example
cannot be found in another place of the world.
7.
Young people and children constitute 53% of occupied area’s population;
Unemployment rate was 9.9% in 2012
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(17.08.13) reported that the great majority of the 286.257 persons who
continuously reside in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus are young
people and children, who, according to the recently announced results of the
“population census” held in 2011, constitute 53% of the population permanently
living in the occupied area of the island.
The distribution of the population
according to their age group was the following in the census held in 2011 in
comparison with the census held in 2006:
|
Αge Group
|
2011
|
2006
|
Increase
|
|
0-14
|
52.710
|
47.595
|
10,7%
|
|
15-19
|
20.807
|
21.356
|
-2,6%
|
|
20-24
|
33.309
|
34.008
|
-2%
|
|
25-29
|
29.292
|
28.786
|
1,75%
|
|
30-34
|
27.823
|
21.921
|
26,9%
|
|
35-39
|
22.853
|
18.483
|
23,6%
|
|
40-44
|
19.118
|
17.770
|
7,5%
|
|
45-49
|
17.707
|
15.105
|
17,2%
|
|
50-54
|
15.271
|
13.118
|
16,4%
|
|
55-59
|
13.154
|
11.073
|
18,7%
|
|
60-64
|
10.952
|
8.066
|
35,7%
|
|
65-69
|
8.261
|
6.685
|
23,5%
|
|
70-74
|
6.091
|
4.957
|
22,8%
|
|
75-79
|
4.372
|
3.518
|
24,2%
|
|
80-84
|
2.710
|
2.151
|
25,9%
|
|
85 and above
|
1.827
|
1.357
|
34,6%
|
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni
Duzen newspaper (17.08.13) reported that according to data published by the
Turkish so-called embassy to Nicosia in the regime’s “2012 Economic Situation
Report”, the number of the unemployed persons increased from 9.522 in 2006 to
10.784 in 2012. According to the same report, 4.093 Turkish Cypriots were
working in the government-controlled area of the island in 2006 and this number
was decreased to 1.200 in 2012.
The number of the persons who are in the
age of being able to work increased to 221.193 in 2012. According to the
report, 50.8% of this population is not included in the workforce of the
occupied area of the island.
Unemployment rate was 11.9% in 2010,
9.7% in 2011 and 9.9% in 2012.
The number of persons working in the
“public” and private sectors was 93.000 in 2010, 97.103 in 2011, and 99.117 in
2012.
(I/Ts.)
8.
Erdogan accused the Egyptian authorities of administering “state terrorism”
Under the title “Egypt ties on brink of
rupture in wake of Cairo massacre”, Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online,
18.08.13) reported that a day after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused
the Egyptian authorities of administering “state terrorism,” Egypt's Foreign
Minister on Sunday called Turkey's fierce criticism of the harsh Egyptian
military crackdown on the supporters of ousted leader Mohammed Morsi “hostile,”
as tension between the two countries continue to mount.
Turkey and Egypt have cancelled naval
military drills and recalled their ambassadors amid strongly worded criticisms
by Turkish leaders in the wake of the July 3 coup that ousted Morsi and a
subsequent brutal crackdown on his supporters which left hundreds dead. A
Turkish journalist working for state television TRT,
who was detained at a Cairo mosque by Egyptian security forces along with
pro-Morsi demonstrators, was also still in custody as of Sunday afternoon,
further straining ties.
Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül were
due to meet on Sunday for talks on Egypt but the meeting was postponed to
Thursday. There was no statement as to why the meeting was put off at the last
minute.
Furthermore, the paper reported that
Erdoğan, speaking at the opening ceremony of an urban transformation project in
Bursa's Yıldırım district, blamed the interim government in Egypt for the
bloody incidents in the country, which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds
since Wednesday, and reiterated his criticism of those who support Egypt's
military intervention. Condemning the attacks on houses of worship, Erdoğan
repeated his calls to both the government and supporters of Morsi to show
sensitivity.
“Places of worships are sacred, but [the
Syrian and Egyptian government] ruined and burned our mosques in Egypt and
Syria. There is no difference between Egyptian army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
and al-Assad. Those who support them are not any different from them,” Erdoğan
maintained.
The Prime Minister also repeated
accusations against the international community for maintaining its silence
over the incidents in the Middle East.
Erdoğan criticized foreign countries for
remaining silent over the incidents in Egypt and asserted that the countries
“that gave $16 billon in support to the coup government in Egypt are the
partners of it,” in reference to the Gulf countries.
9. Turkish government furious against OIC
chief, calls for resignation
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(online, 18.08.13) with the above title reported that senior Turkish government
officials have taken aim at the head of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), Turkey’s Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, for the organization’s
inaction over the Egyptian army’s heavy crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood
protesters, calling on him to resign for “dishonourable passivity.”
“If I were the secretary-general of the
OIC, I would invite all member countries to adopt a joint position against the
coup in Egypt and to stand against these killings,” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir
Bozdağ said in an interview with Kanal 24 on Saturday. “If member countries
rejected that, then I would resign in reaction. If I were him, I wouldn’t stand
as the head of an organization in the face of such a dishonourable move.”
İhsanoğlu, a Turkish citizen, was
elected as the secretary-general of the 57-member OIC in 2005 for a nine-year
term after Turkish government exerted great effort for his election to the
important international organization.
“Is there anybody who knows what
İhsanoğlu is doing? This person had accused [ousted President Mohamed] Morsi
after the coup,” Hüseyin Çelik, deputy leader of the Justice and Development
Party (AKP), said via Twitter late Aug. 17. Recalling that Turkish President
Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had pushed for his
election to the post, Çelik said, “As I recall, I say ‘what a pity.’”
Referring to the heavy crackdown on
Muslim Brotherhood protesters on Aug. 14, İhsanoğlu called on “all parties to
exercise restraint and to return to dialogue in order to forge national
consensus and bring about social peace.”
“What ‘all parties?’ Which ‘restraint?’”
asked Bozdağ. “There is no conflict between two parties. One of the parties has
its thoughts, faith and spirit. The other party has its weapons, force and
power.”
According to the deputy prime minister,
both the OIC and the Arab League have failed on the Egyptian test, arguing that
the OIC was not the organization of kings but of Islam. “Its original name
contains the word Islam. How can an organization named after Islam remain
silent against this kind of cruel killings of hundreds of women and children,”
asked Bozdağ.
The latest conversation between
İhsanoğlu and the Turkish government took place on Aug. 17 when Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu phoned the OIC chief to discuss the developments in
Egypt after security forces besieged a mosque in Cairo. Davutoğlu reportedly
called on the OIC to be more active in the international field regarding the
developments in Egypt.
10.
Ruling AKP, BDP in row over Kurdish peace bid
Turkish daily Hürriyet Daily News
(online, 19.08.13) reports that an already delicate process to resolve the
decades-old Kurdish question is becoming more troubled by the day, with
counter-statements from the government and the Kurdish political figures now
accusing each other of not fulfilling promises given.
While the government is criticizing the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for prolonging the withdrawal of its
militants into northern Iraq, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is firing
back against the government over its reluctance to announce the democratization
package. BDP’s co-chairperson Selahattin Demirtaş’s statement that the
government should make its package public on Sept. 1, and legislate it before
Oct. 15, caused a fresh rift between the two.
“There are steps to be taken, we will
take these. ‘Take it until this date.’ We have not taken these steps because
the terrorist organization or the BDP wanted them, and we will not after this
point,” deputy leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Mehmet Ali
Şahin said in an interview with the Anadolu Agency on Aug. 18.
Şahin chose to speak vaguely of the
contents and the timing of the package. “As far as I have learned, it is
presented to Mr. Prime Minister. Maybe it comes up on the agenda of the Central
Executive Board [MYK] meeting to be held next Monday, maybe our related friends
and our Mr. Prime Minister will inform us at the MYK. Since I am not a part of
that commission, I have no information on the contents,” Şahin reiterated.
Şahin also repeated Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan’s previous statement about how the first phase, the withdrawal
of the armed forces of the PKK, has not been completed.
“The promises on leaving Turkey have not
been fulfilled. In a very simple sense, it is such that 20%, and these are
children, old women and such. Apart from this, ‘withdrawal’ is not the case,”
Erdoğan has said, as daily Hürriyet reported on Aug. 17. A day after Demirtaş’s
remarks, BDP deputies have once again visited Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned
leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on August 17, and
delivered his message where he affirmed that the negotiations continued.
“Meetings and negotiations we have with
the state delegations continue. Until this stage, I gave meaning to my position
to be valued as an instrument, but from now on, my position must evolve from
being instrumental into a more strategic position,” Öcalan was reported as
saying.
“I think that for the process to proceed
healthily, the government too must take practical steps on democratization with
democratization packages which will be prepared through a participatory
method,” Öcalan added.
11.
CHP visits abroad spotlights
foreign policy differences with government
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online,
18.08.13) with the above title reported that the leader of Turkey's main
opposition party is expected to make official visits to a number of countries
in the near future, and the substantially divergent attitudes on foreign policy
held by the Republican People's Party (CHP)
and the government are expected to become more visible.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the CHP, is scheduled to pay a five-day visit to Iraq
early next week. He has harshly criticized the government's foreign policy in
the Middle East, maintaining that Turkey, having problems with almost all its
neighbours since the beginning of the Arab Spring, has been going through the
most difficult period in foreign policy since the establishment of the
republic. “We propose peace, while the AKP [the Justice and Development Party,
also AKP] proposes war,” Kılıçdaroğlu said on a CNN Türk television program on
Monday evening.
The CHP
believes that Turkey should encourage a diplomatic process without interfering
in other countries' domestic affairs rather than becoming involved as a
participant in crises by taking sides in the various conflicts in the Middle
East. Elaborating on the main difference between positions of the ruling party
and the CHP on matters of foreign
policy, Faruk Loğoğlu, the CHP's
deputy chairman in charge of foreign policy, told Sunday's Zaman that “while the
CHP struggles to rebuild peace and
resolve conflicts in the region, the AK Party on the other hand, is positioning
itself as a party to the conflicts.”
During the Iraq visit, Kılıçdaroğlu will
meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The Turkish government has been
on bad terms with Maliki for some time, because of Turkey's rather close energy
ties with the Kurds of northern Iraq. Maliki fears the Kurds may seek to
separate from Iraq if they can find ways to sell their oil without
authorization from the Iraqi central government.
Turkey's main opposition party, which
has been criticizing the government for not adequately informing it about the
latest developments on foreign policy issues, intends to make more
international visits in the future. “Not only doesn't the ruling party provide
us with information on foreign policy, but it doesn't even adequately answer
the written questions we submit in Parliament,” Loğoğlu added.
The CHP
has received similar official invitations from other countries as well. In an
effort to increase its international profile, the CHP
plans to pay visits to countries such as Iran, Tunisia and the Turkic states in
Central Asia in the future. “It's not only for the interests of the CHP, but also for Turkey's future, which will be
shaped by the CHP, that we would
like to share our vision with the world,” Loğoğlu said at a press meeting in
Ankara on Tuesday.
12.
AKP opens office in Brussels
Turkish daily Sabah (19.08.13) reports
that the first representation office of the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP), with the instructions of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
be opened in Brussels. The primary aim of the office is to let know the
presence of Turkey and AKP in the Europe in a strong manner.
According to the paper, two reasons
played a role for the opening of a representation office of AKP in abroad. The
first one is to improve the relations with EU institutions. The second reason
is that the Turks, living abroad, will start from next May to vote in all general
elections and referendums in Turkey, apart from the local elections. The
Turkish citizens, who are two million, five hundred fifty thousand in abroad,
are not obliged to travel to Turkey in order to vote. They can use the ballot
boxes in the foreign representations of the countries that they are living.
The paper also reports that the opening
of AKP representation office in Berlin is also in the agenda.
13.
Parties shaping their local election candidates
Turkish daily Hürriyet Daily News
(online, 19.08.13), under the above title, reports that unless there is an
extraordinary shift in the agenda, Turkey will declare its local elections
calendar on January 1, 2014, and hit the ballot box on March 30, 2014. Five
months later, in August, Presidential elections will take place. After these
two elections, if not predated, general elections will be held in June 2015.
In this context, local elections, which
will deeply impact the country’s future and are likely to have a triggering
effect, have already kicked off. Perfectionist party leaders are attaching a
special importance to the three strategically crucial metropolitan
municipalities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Surveys are being conducted,
organizations audited. And slowly, candidate profiles for these cities are
being shaped.
There are multiple scenarios and name
predictions enumerated for the capital city. Let us take a look at who stands a
better chance in which city, and which names outshine others.
Istanbul:
Istanbul means Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In a scenario where the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) loses Istanbul, it will create a demoralization in the
party, as much as putting a minus sign to Erdoğan’s 11 years of success.
Therefore, Erdoğan is being meticulous while picking out the candidate. If the
AKP complies with its three terms limit, which indicates that no party official
can hold office for more than three terms, it is likely that a strong Minister
from the current cabinet will be shifted to govern the city. Kadir Topbaş, the
current Mayor, stands a weak chance; he is expected to be made a deputy. Among
the names discussed are Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım, EU Minister Egemen
Bağış and a surprise name, Industry Minister Nihat Ergün. Bağış is being
considered for Beyoğlu Municipality, an area still under the rule of the AKP.
In this context, there are rumours that a change in the cabinet will occur in
the fall, yet Erdoğan is rumoured to make the change right before the election,
towards the new year.
The main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) is seeking to compete
with a promising candidate. In a lot of surveys, the difference between the
AKP’s Kadir Topbaş and the current Şişli Mayor, Mustafa Sarıgül is measured to
have fallen to four points, despite the fact that Sarıgül has not become a CHP member yet. Sarıgül is close to becoming CHP’s candidate, but some, in the nationalist wing
of the CHP, object to his
membership. Another prominent name for CHP’s
candidate for Istanbul is the deputy leader of the party, Gürsel Tekin. Other
names for CHP candidacy include
party spokesperson Haluk Koç, deputy group chair Muharrem İnce, journalist Can
Ataklı, former Gaziantep Mayor Celal Doğan, yet they are given slight chances.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is not expected to come up with a strong
candidate for Istanbul. Even though party leader Devlet Bahçeli expressed that
they are against coalitions, if the CHP
comes up with the right candidate, it seems inevitable that the CHP will receive votes from the MHP electorate. The MHP
is said to be considering Istanbul provincial chief Abdurrahman Başkan for
candidacy.
For the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP),
Sırrı Süreyya Önder stands out after being in the ascendant in the Gezi Park
resistance. The decision by Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) will be decisive too on Önder’s
candidacy. This decision will be affected by the attitudes taken if the
alliance between the AKP and the BDP on the solution of the Kurdish problem
continues.
It is being estimated that if Önder, a
sympathetic figure for the Left, is to become a candidate, it will harm the
votes of the CHP.
Ankara:
Melih Gökçek has been claiming the post of Ankara Mayor for the past four
terms, with two of them under the roof of the AKP. In 2009 election, Gökçek
entered the elections saying “I will run for the last time.” With his statements
supporting Erdoğan during Gezi protests, he once again took the advantage in
candidacy. Erdoğan might surprisingly nominate another. Deputy PM Ali Babacan,
even though he said he is not interested, and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç are
mentioned. It is also rumoured that Kılıç can become AKP’s candidate for
Samsun.
The CHP
is having troubles in Ankara. Deputy leader Gökhan Günaydın, who became
prominent with his latterly performance, may run for the office. Other names
mentioned are Ankara deputies Emine Ülker Tarhan and Levent Gök and former
Minister of State Mustafa Yılmaz.
In 2009 elections, the MHP have made a surprise with 27%. In this
election, the MHP is considering
party’s deputy leader Mevlüt Karakaya or theologian Mustafa Erdem for candidacy.
In the meanwhile, the BDP is not ambitious for Ankara.
Izmir
too is critical for the AKP. A strong name of
the cabinet, Yıldırım, who was elected from Izmir in general elections, is at
the forefront. Izmir deputy Rıfat Sait, who is of Balkan origin, is also
willing for the candidacy. Izmir provincial chief Ömer Cihat Akay is also being
considered. Among the expectations is that Erdoğan might enter the race with a
surprise name.
The CHP
is accenting on the current Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu for Izmir, a city known to be CHP’s “castle,” due to its historic landslide
victories. Another assertive name is Konak Mayor Hakan Tartan. Izmir deputy
Birgül Ayman Güler and former deputy Canan Arıtman have already declared their
candidacies, yet are given slight chances.
The MHP
is expected to proceed with provincial chief Necat Karataş, while the BDP is
expected to compete with an unassertive candidate.
-------------------------------------------------------
TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
