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5/3/07

Asia Times Online - Turkey rallies its (political) troops - by M K Bhadrakumar


For the complete report from the Asia Times Online click on this link

Turkey rallies its (political) troops - by M K Bhadrakumar

Three developments within a week, and the visage of Turkish politics has changed beyond recognition: the military's warning to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) last Friday against pressing ahead with its candidate for the presidency because of his Islamist leanings; the constitutional court's ruling on Tuesday that invalidated the first round of voting by Parliament last week in which the AKP candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, fell just short of the required two-thirds support; and the AKP leadership's subsequent announcement that it will dissolve.

Turkish politics is entering uncharted waters. No precedent from Turkey's troubled experience with democracy quite holds good as a compass for the protagonists. That includes the country's armed forces, the main political parties, and civil society.

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