Debate over suspects' candidacy continues to dominate agenda

14 April 2011, Thursday

The candidacy of 15 suspects, 14 of whom are currently in jail on charges of terrorism, in the upcoming June 12 elections is still a matter of contention for Turkey's politicians and jurists, whose opinions on whether they will be allowed inside Parliament if they get elected vary.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Turkish nation will make a decision about the future of suspect candidates. He said he finds the nomination of suspects in the Ergenekon, Sledgehammer and Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trials as candidates by the three main political parties “thought-provoking,” and added, “I am curious about how my nation will react to their nominations.” The prime minister's remarks came on Tuesday as he was about to board his plane to Strasbourg.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) included three suspects in the Ergenekon case -- former Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) President Sinan Aygün, former Başkent University Rector Mehmet Haberal and journalist Mustafa Balbay -- in its list of candidates for deputy. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) nominated retired Gen. Engin Alan, a suspect in the Sledgehammer coup case, as a candidate while the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) nominated six suspects in the KCK trial as candidates for deputy in the approaching parliamentary elections. Haberal, Balbay and Alan are currently in jail,while Aygün was released from prison in 2008 after a brief period of arrest pending trial.

The nominations of the suspects kicked off a debate as to whether they will be eligible for parliamentary immunity. While some are saying they will be eligible, others say the courts hearing these cases may allow the suspects’ release pending trial, but it is not a legal obligation. They say the suspects cannot enter Parliament without a court decision for their release.

According to the prime minister, the nomination of these suspects has shown the insincerity of the CHP and BDP in their demands for the revocation of parliamentary immunity. “The CHP and the BDP have asked for the revocation of parliamentary immunity. Now it has become evident who is willing to benefit from immunity,” Erdoğan stated. The nomination of the suspects sparked a debate as to whether they will be eligible for parliamentary immunity. While some are saying they will be eligible, others say the courts hearing these cases may allow for the suspects’ release pending trial, but it is not a legal obligation. They say the suspects cannot enter Parliament without a court decision for their release.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, on the other hand, defended the nomination of terror suspects. He said he was “pleased” to see the suspects in his party’s candidate list. Kılıçdaroğlu additionally argued that the suspects were being tried due to their opposition to the AK Party government. “Those men [suspects] are not pro-government. They are people who contribute to the development of Turkey with their opinions. We are extremely happy to see them inside the CHP. They are people who did good things for Turkey. This is why we nominated them for the elections,” he added.

Some other suspects in the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer cases will also run in the June elections, but as independent candidates. Among these are journalist Tuncay Özkan, former Police Chief Hanefi Avcı, Workers’ Party (İP) leader Doğu Perinçek, retired Gen. Çetin Doğan and retired Col. Atilla Uğur.

In addition, Kılıçdaroğlu responded to a question about the criticism directed at the CHP administration by party members and supporters due to the nomination of terror and coup suspects. The CHP leader said everyone presented their views about the nominations, and the party administration made their final decision. “There are 80 people on the [CHP] party council. All of our friends presented their views and suggestions. And the party council made the final decision,” he noted.

Ergenekon is a clandestine criminal network accused of working to overthrow the government through large-scale chaos. Sledgehammer is a suspected military plan devised at a military gathering in 2003 that allegedly sought to undermine the government in order to lay the groundwork for a military takeover. The KCK is the urban arm of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

In the meantime, CHP Konya deputy Atilla Kart told reporters on Wednesday that courts will decide whether to allow suspect candidates to enter Parliament if they get elected in the June polls. “Trials against those men will continue. They will continue to stand trial even if they are elected to Parliament. The judiciary may refuse to release them from prison [even if they get elected] based on an article enshrined in the Constitution,” he stated.

PM responds to questions on election list

Reporters also asked the prime minister why he refused to nominate State Minister for Family and Women’s Affairs Selma Aliye Kavaf and singer İbrahim Tatlıses as a candidates for deputy in the elections. “It is not possible to nominate all the applicants. İbrahim Tatlıses is a person whom I like and whose art I respect. Unfortunately has had an unfortunate incident. As I previously mentioned, we were supposed to nominate only one of every 10 applicants. We have received 6,000 applications. Please try to imagine what we felt when evaluating all those applications,” Erdoğan stated.

Tatlıses was shot by armed assailants in mid-March. He is currently receiving treatment in Germany. After the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) rejected his application, he decided to run as an independent candidate from his hometown Şanlıurfa. Erdoğan also said the AK Party will benefit from the experience of Kavaf in a “different way.” However, he did not disclose his party’s plans for the minister.

The prime minister also expressed pleasure at having included Ahmet Kutalmış Türkeş, the son of legendary MHP leader Alparslan Türkeş, in the AK Party candidate list. “The son of Alparslan Türkeş is an AK Party candidate from İstanbul. Another son of Türkeş has been nominated as a candidate from the MHP. The nomination of Türkeş’s son shows that the AK Party embraces all segments of society,” he noted.

Asked about claims of coded question booklets in the Transition to Higher Education Examination (YGS), the prime minister said he was satisfied by the explanations provided by the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) head Ali Demir. “One thing is very clear at this point. … Some are trying to block the holding of the second exam by taking people to the streets. Such provocative acts should not negatively impact the YGS. I wish good luck to all students,” he added. Last week, the 8th Chamber of the Council of State ruled against the annulment of the YSG, saying it is not the authorized body to hear an appeal for the annulment of the test. The court said applicants should have filed an appeal for the annulment of the YGS at an administrative court.

Source: Today's Zaman.
Link: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-241000-debate-over-suspects-candidacy-continues-to-dominate-agenda.html.