MPs Vote for Early General Elections
The High Electoral Board said yesterday that the general elections would be held on July 22 at the earliest. As the opposition agreed for the government's proposal, Turkish people will elect a new parliament on the issued date.
While the date for general elections are designated, the presidential elections remain a controversial issue.
PM Erdogan also proposed that the next president would be elected by public vote instead of an election in the parliament. He also said that the president would serve for five years instead of seven and a person would be elected for a second term.
This preposition stirred the political scene, as it requires a constitutional reform and considering its relatively strong executive powers implies a semi-presidential system for the country.
Critics range from saying that such a reform can't be done in two weeks without any public debate on the issue, to those who claim that such a change involves risks which would block the democratic system.
Presidential elections ignite the debate
The AKP revealed the current Minister of Foreign affairs Abdullah Gul as their candidate for the presidency last week.
Opposition parties boycotted the parliamentary vote and although Gul received 361 votes in the 550-seat parliament, the Constitutional Court annulled the election approving the main opposition CHP's appeal.
It concluded that the sitting for elections could have begun with al least 367 MP's at the assembly.
PM Erdogan criticized the court's ruling as "firing a bullet at democracy". CHP leader Baykal had commented that without such a ruling "the country would end up in a disaster".
Responding to both comments, head of the court judge released a note yesterday deeming both remarks as "inappropriate and unacceptable".
AKP vs. Kemalists
A new round of presidential elections is due May 6 but as the AKP didn't withdrew their candidate it's expected that the opposition will again boycott the election.
AKP's Islamist background and the possibility of a consolidation of executive powers -with a sympathetic president and a majority at the parliament- feared the Kemalists and many others that the country would go into that direction.
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Ankara and Istanbul on April 14 and 29 respectively in an attempt to discourage the ruling AKP from such.
Furthermore, the General Staff released a note on its website last week, threatening the government.(EÜ)
