Posted on 11/25/2012 6:35:26 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Although both are founding members of Turkey's ruling party, increasingly the two men appear to be at odds with one another on a variety of political issues. The rivalry could have far-reaching consequences for the country.
The Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, has in the past few months been challenging what is perceived as the increasingly tough positions of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whether on the treatment of the country’s Kurdish minority, imprisoned journalists or advocating membership in the European Union. Last month Erdogan voiced his frustration.
He said Turkey is not ruled by double-headed governance and he said the country will go nowhere with double-headed rule.
Yuksel Taskin, associate professor of politics at Marmara University... says President Gul is reacting to growing concern within the country by the increasingly tough stances of the prime minister.
"President Gul is trying to have a moderate image. Erdogan, his hard line image only creates sympathy in some nationalist circles, but the rest of the people are becoming increasingly skeptical of his leadership style, especially certain influential circles such as liberals circles, and the business community in the western parts of Turkey in particular," said Taskin.
Taskin says the prime minister's hardline stance is a bid to court nationalist’s votes in the 2014 presidential elections, in which he is widely expected to run. Erdogan has also made it clear he wants to turn Turkey into a presidential system, and to do that he will need the parliamentary votes of the Nationalist Action Party.
(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...
(photo is from AP, so not usable)
This one, otoh, is atrocious:
Gaza Crisis Strains US-Turkey Relations
http://www.voanews.com/content/gaza-crisis-puts-strain-on-us-turkey-relations/1549105.html
They have names like Cardiassians
That can’t be good
I wanted to post this one:
oops
THIS ONE (wtf is wrong with this place tonight?!?):
Oh, okay, now the software blanked the URL out in preview.
Screw this.
Now it’s “Before you post this...”
There’s some invisible BS in the URL, not my doing.
So, I’ve tried this, retyping it verbatim:
http://www.voanews.com/content/religious-minorities-find-sanctuary-in-kurdistan/1546032.html
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