Turkey’s first Islamic govt on brink of collapse

DUBAI, June 1: Shorn of absolute majority and facing a standoff with the military and the powerful business community, Turkey's first Islam...

DUBAI, June 1: Shorn of absolute majority and facing a standoff with the military and the powerful business community, Turkey’s first Islamist-led government headed by Necmattin Erbakan is on the verge of collapse.

The strength of the ruling coalition was reduced to 245 seats in a house of 550 — one short of majority — when Yildirim Aktuna, a member of coalition partner True Path Party (DYP) of former prime minister Tansu Ciller quit on Friday saying four more resignations were likely.

Ciller facing probes is herself looking forward to taking over the mantle of prime minister, a move that will strengthen her leadership in her own party driven by dissension. The 11-month-old coalition between Erbakan’s Islamist Welfare Party and the DYP has had a rough run over role of religion in politics.

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The secular military which dominates the national security council, the country’s highest advisory body, had asked Erbakan to curb the role of religion in politics. The army has demanded dismissal of religious fundamentalists from government jobs and a ban on religious propaganda.The business and labour groups in Turkey have also demanded the resignation of the government and have threatened to hold demonstrations and stage strikes.

Erbakan reacted strongly putting up a strong show of 40,000 people at the central Inonu stadium in Istanbul on Friday to mark the 544th anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of the city and to whip up support for the party.

The European countries and the United States have had an uneasy alliance with the Islamist government though Turkey is a NATO partner mainly because of Erbakan’s overtures toward the Islamic states specially Iran which Washington is trying to isolate internationally.

They would rather have Ciller in saddle as the centrist leader is closer to the western political leadership. Her party has 116 seats now with last week’s desertions but Erbakan can still bank on seven seats of the extreme right Grand Union Party.

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The conservative opposition Motherland Party is set to introduce a no-confidence motion against the government this week. So far the talks between the ruling coalition partners have not been able to chalk out a clear strategy to get over the crisis.

The largely Islamic Turkey was given a secular framework and westernised by its nationalist leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the 1920s when the state was given a new legal code. Ever since Turkey has retained its strongly secular nature till the Islamic Welfare Party emerged as a powerful political player in last elections.

Turkey has also been keen to become a full member of the European Community but its request has been kept in abeyance because of its allegedly poor human rights record.