Republicans Crowd İzmir This Time

Hundreds of thousands gathered in İzmir this weekend for a fifth "republican meeting" after Ankara, Istanbul, Canakkale and Manisa.

Once again the crowd filled streets and avenues waving Turkish flags and chanting secularist slogans.

Main opposition in the parliament People's Republican Party (CHP) front man Deniz Baykal and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer as well as Social Democratic Party (SHP) and Labor Party (İP) supported the meeting, organized by numerous NGO's like its precedents.

The crowd voiced demands that the CHP and DSP join forces for the up coming general elections on July 22.

Both leaders refrained from meeting at during the demonstration.

İzmir's municipalities -one of the biggest cities in Turkey on the Aegean shore and known as a social democrat stronghold- supported the meeting by distributing free Ataturk posters, hats and Turkish flags as well as providing free transportation to the arena.

Demonstrators carried placards critical of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.

The series of "republican meetings" began as a protest against AKP's efforts to nominate and elect a partisan president at the parliament.

The party's Islamist background fears most as they would head the country towards a conservative, Islamist state.(NZ/EÜ)