2007 Turkish presidential election: Difference between revisions
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The Presidential office is regarded as the guardian of Turkey's [[secular]] system, and the fact that the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]] have a majority in [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey|Turkish Grand National Assembly]] means that if a candidate from the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]] stood for the post, that candidate would be virtually certain to be victorious. This is causing fear and worry among many [[Turkish people|Turk]]s who feel that the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]], with its Islamic roots will sabotage Turkey's secular nature, even though the Party has frequently asserted that they are loyal to the secular system. |
The Presidential office is regarded as the guardian of Turkey's [[secular]] system, and the fact that the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]] have a majority in [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey|Turkish Grand National Assembly]] means that if a candidate from the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]] stood for the post, that candidate would be virtually certain to be victorious. This is causing fear and worry among many [[Turkish people|Turk]]s who feel that the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]], with its Islamic roots will sabotage Turkey's secular nature, even though the Party has frequently asserted that they are loyal to the secular system. |
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On [[14 April]] [[2007]], two days before the start of the nominations announcement for the presidential elections, over |
On [[14 April]] [[2007]], two days before the start of the nominations announcement for the presidential elections, over 300,000 protesters [http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=173784][http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2007/04/30/topnews/one-million-turks-rally-against-government.html&template=/topnews/feeds/story_template.html] marched in the centre of [[Ankara]], chanting slogans such as 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular', and 'We do not want an [[Imam]] for President' to protest against the possibility of Prime Minister Erdoğan or another member of the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]] standing in the presidential elections. However, the only presidential candidate is a member of this party. |
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After huge demand, a second [[Demonstration (people)|rally]] was organised for 29 April 2007 opposing the candidacy of [[Abdullah Gül]] from the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]], which has its roots in political Islam. [[CNN Turk]] put the figure of those participating in the rally in defence of secularism at 1,370,000; the largest protest of its kind in [[Turkish history]]. The rally was broadcast live across the world, with the crowds chanting the now familiar slogan 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular'. |
After huge demand, a second [[Demonstration (people)|rally]] was organised for 29 April 2007 opposing the candidacy of [[Abdullah Gül]] from the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]], which has its roots in political Islam. [[CNN Turk]] put the figure of those participating in the rally in defence of secularism at 1,370,000; the largest protest of its kind in [[Turkish history]]. The rally was broadcast live across the world, with the crowds chanting the now familiar slogan 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular'. |
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Revision as of 06:36, 2 May 2007
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (April 2007) |
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 Turkey portal |
The 11th President of Turkey will be elected by the Turkish Grand National Assembly in late April and early May 2007 onwards (in at most four rounds of voting to be held on 27 April 2007, 2 May 2007, 9 May 2007 and 15 May 2007[1]), before Ahmet Necdet Sezer's term expires on 16 May 2007. This is also the date when his successor will be sworn in.[2]
Procedure
Should the voting system remain unchanged from the last election, the presidential vote will be held among MPs in parliament by secret ballot. A candidate requires a two-thirds majority (367 votes) to be elected in the first two rounds. If there is no clear winner before the third round, the winning threshold is dropped to a simple majority (276 votes). If there is still no winner, the two candidates with the most votes from the third round progress to a runoff election, where the simply majority rule still applies. In the event of no clear winner among the two, the Constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock.
Candidates
- Abdullah Gül, foreign minister, deputy prime minister, and former prime minister, Justice and Development Party. [3] He is the official candidate of the Justice and Development Party, thus making him the strongest candidate to be the 11th president of Turkey.
- Ersönmez Yarbay, Justice and Development Party. [4]He withdrew his candidacy before the start of presidential voting.[5]
Controversy
The Presidential office is regarded as the guardian of Turkey's secular system, and the fact that the Justice and Development Party have a majority in Turkish Grand National Assembly means that if a candidate from the Justice and Development Party stood for the post, that candidate would be virtually certain to be victorious. This is causing fear and worry among many Turks who feel that the Justice and Development Party, with its Islamic roots will sabotage Turkey's secular nature, even though the Party has frequently asserted that they are loyal to the secular system.
On 14 April 2007, two days before the start of the nominations announcement for the presidential elections, over 300,000 protesters [1][2] marched in the centre of Ankara, chanting slogans such as 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular', and 'We do not want an Imam for President' to protest against the possibility of Prime Minister Erdoğan or another member of the Justice and Development Party standing in the presidential elections. However, the only presidential candidate is a member of this party.
After huge demand, a second rally was organised for 29 April 2007 opposing the candidacy of Abdullah Gül from the Justice and Development Party, which has its roots in political Islam. CNN Turk put the figure of those participating in the rally in defence of secularism at 1,370,000; the largest protest of its kind in Turkish history. The rally was broadcast live across the world, with the crowds chanting the now familiar slogan 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular'.
If Presidential nominee, Abdullah Gül does not withdraw his nomination in the next few days, organisers have stated that similar mass rallies will be carried out across the secular Republic.
The First Round of Voting
The first round of voting took place on April 27, 2007, which resulted in Abdullah Gül, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the official candidate of the Justice and Development Party, achieving 357 votes. This, however, is below the two thirds of the vote needed, and so, there will be another round of voting in the following days.
The opposition party Republican People's Party has filed a claim to the Supreme Court, seeking a declaration of nullity in relation to the first round of voting. It is claimed that at least 367 members presence in TBMM is needed. So, Republican People's Party claims there is an illegal issue in the voting because there were only 361 members present in TBMM. [6]
On May 1, 2007, the constitutional court ruled in favour of the Republican People's Party and declared the first round annulled. [7] On May 2, 2007, the first round will be repeated. It is expected that an early parliamentary election will take place in either June or July.
Turkish Armed Forces' position
General Yaşar Büyükanıt, current Chief of the Turkish General Staff, said that the new president should be loyal to republic principles not only by words but also by heart on 12 April 2007. Turkish Armed Forces made a remark after first round of the elections on 27 April 2007. In summary, the Army is not happy with the current situation in elections, as seen by a statement released late on Friday night:
New presidential elections became a matter of secularism discussion. This matter is being watched by the Army, with great anxiety. On this matter, the Army takes part of secularism. The Army is against of discussions and negative comments made, will act clearly when needed. The Army will do the duties arranged by laws. [8]
In response to these statements, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek made a speech. He said that 59th government was sensitive about the secular, democratic, social and law state. The statements by the Army is considered as against the 59th government. In democracy, it is strange to even think it. It is impossible to think that Turkish Armed Forces which is responsible to prime minister to talk against prime minister in a democratic law state. [9] The European Union has also warned Turkey's military not to interfere in politics. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said:
This is a clear test case whether the Turkish armed forces respect democratic secularization and democratic values... The timing is rather surprising and strange. It's important that the military respects also the rules of the democratic game and its own role in that democratic game.[10]
Composition of Turkish Parliament
As of April 2007, the following parties are represented in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and therefore can vote:
| Parties | No. of seats | ||
| Initial | Current | ||
| File:AKP Logo.png | Justice and Development Party Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) | 363 | 351 |
| File:RepublicanPeoplesPartyEmblem.png | Republican People's Party Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP) | 178 | 151 |
| File:Anavatan.jpg | Motherland Party Anavatan Partisi (ANAP) | 0 | 20 |
| File:Dypartisi.PNG | True Path Party Doğru Yol Partisi (DYP) | 0 | 5 |
| File:Shplogo.gif | Social Democratic People's Party Sosyaldemokrat Halk Partisi (SHP) | 0 | 1 |
| File:Hyp logo.jpg | People's Ascent Party Halkın Yükselişi Partisi (HYP) | 0 | 1 |
| File:Gencparti.PNG | Young Party Genç Parti (GP) | 0 | 1 |
| Independents Bağımsız | 9 | 11 | |
| Vacant Seats Boş | - | 9 | |
| Total | 550 | 550 | |
Please note that the distribution of seats has changed since the latest elections in 2002.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ "Turkey's ruling party announces FM Gul as presidential candidate". People's Daily Online. 24 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Turkish Parliament to begin selecting next president on May 1st". Southeast European Times. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Aday Gül" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. 24 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "'Tek adam' tepkisi" (in Turkish). Milliyet. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Yarbay's withdraw". Turkish Daily News. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6602375.stm
- ^ Turkey's presidency vote annulled, BBC, Tuesday, 1 May 2007, 17:33 GMT
- ^ "Askerden Muhtıra Gibi Açıklama" (in Turkish). Ntvmsnbc. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Hükümetten TSK Açıklamasına Yanıt" (in Turkish). Ntvmsnbc. April 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "EU warns Turkish army over vote". BBC News. April 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)