Legal blow to Turkish front-runner

BBC News ^ | September 16 2002

[knighthawk]

Turkey's supreme court has dealt a severe blow to the leader of the party tipped to win November's elections with a ruling which could stop him from standing. The Ankara court on Monday re-instated the criminal record of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK).

The ruling overturns a decision in a regional court last week which quashed his conviction for inciting religious hatred.

Turkey's election rules bar people with criminal records from standing for parliament. The country's election board is expected to make a final ruling on Mr Erdogan's candidacy in the next weeks.

Party confident

The AK party has been leading the opinion polls, with the latest survey putting it 10% ahead of its rivals.

As its leader, Mr Erdogan looked set to become the country's next prime minister.

Turkey's secular military has viewed the surge in the Islamist party's fortunes with suspicion.

But the court ruling throws Mr Erdogan's and the party's chances into doubt.

Mr Erdogan spent four months in jail in 1998 after being found guilty of inciting racial hatred.

Last week, a court in the south-eastern town of Diyarbakir, overturned the conviction.

But despite the setback of Monday's ruling, Mr Erdogan's supporters are confident that the party will prevail.

"We believe that the (electoral board) will make the right decision and that we will enter the elections under our leader's direction," the party's deputy leader, Abdullah Gul, said.

There are more than 20 parties contesting the elections, which were called after Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's government collapsed.

The AK party was expected to win up to half the parliament's seats.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Turk2]

Man half the seats in parliament huh? Sounds a wee bit optimistic for a party that won't get more than 22% of the electoral vote doesn't it?

[valkyrieanne]

I would like to hear a_Turk's comments, but this does NOT sound cool at all. Democracy only works when the participants are indeed committed to democracy, and not establishing a religious dictatorship.

[a_Turk]

Let me just say that every man in Turkey is a soldier, and 99% revere the secular nature of the government. There may be a few extremists, but they do not amount to much of a threat, as they're shut down right away and without protest by the people.

The real threat is from the outside of the country. Iran and Saudi Arabia, for a while, were providing $50 a month for each woman who would cover her hair in public, and every man who would grow a beard.

$50 is a lot for people who are broke all the time.

The incompetence and corruption of most politicians helps the Islamists, as they spend the Iranian and Saudi money on soup kitchens, etc., and are not seen as corrupt at a level that's recognizable by most citizens in need.

Funny thing is that every time the laws were observed and an Islamist was disqualified from running in an election, they'd go to the EU court of human rights and sue the establishment in Turkey... Even though that tactic was working for them early on, the EUers have been wiseing up lately.

It's really complicated. Which tactic should the secular institutions in Turkey follow. Bar the guys from running, or take a chance but have to bring them down later? Given the track record of this pig, it's too risky to let him run and get some control in the government - not because it would lead to the loss of the secular system since he'd just be forced to resign were he to get out of line, but because it would harm the image of Turkey more than barring him from running ever could.

If it were up to me, I'd just assasinate these snakes. But I still have kids to raise...

[valkyrieanne]

The real threat is from the outside of the country. Iran and Saudi Arabia, for a while, were providing $50 a month for each woman who would cover her hair in public, and every man who would grow a beard.

Supposedly this is the same thing the wahhabis have been doing in the Balkans - paying poor families to send their kids to schools operating out of fanatical mosques; paying women to wear top-to-toe drapery, etc.

It's really complicated. Which tactic should the secular institutions in Turkey follow.

The jihadi do seem to have the Turkish gov't over a barrel. Funny, they seem to be operating directly out of the old Communist "playbook" by staging one stunt after another, and then using Western opinion against the Turkish gov't.

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 9/16/2002. From the FRchives. Thanks knighthawk.

The Ankara court on Monday re-instated the criminal record of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK). The ruling overturns a decision in a regional court last week which quashed his conviction for inciting religious hatred.