Deputy PM says election losers step down
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 25, 2008 00:00
ANKARA - Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek yesterday defended the recent pleas of the prime minister, who pledged to quit if his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, came second in local elections set for March 2009.
"In Western democracies losers of elections are stepping down, which makes party renewal much easier. In Turkey we could not follow this tradition. Therefore, we have some accidents from time to time on the path to democracy," Çiçek told reporters.
In India, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said if it wanted the nation could make him step down from the government. "I put it clearly: if we come second I will quit the (party) leadership," he stressed in weekend remarks.
For his part, Çiçek said it has been 57 to 58 years since Turkey began multi-party practices, calling for structural renewal as a tradition. "As far as I can see, I don’t remember any political party leader in the West who remained in power after losing the elections," he noted.
Asked if he was sending a message to the opposition parties, Çiçek said: "I am not sending any message to anybody. I am trying to explain a democratic rule." He emphasized that Turkey could not engage in renewals after military coups. "Other methods should not be sought for a change in power. People should be elected through democratic means. Local administrations should also come to power through the same path and go back the same. This is an idea I’ve been defending for a long time."Çiçek also commented on the government’s opening to the Alevi community. He confessed that it was an issue that was long delayed, calling for contributions from all political parties in Parliament.
In India, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said if it wanted the nation could make him step down from the government. "I put it clearly: if we come second I will quit the (party) leadership," he stressed in weekend remarks.
For his part, Çiçek said it has been 57 to 58 years since Turkey began multi-party practices, calling for structural renewal as a tradition. "As far as I can see, I don’t remember any political party leader in the West who remained in power after losing the elections," he noted.
Asked if he was sending a message to the opposition parties, Çiçek said: "I am not sending any message to anybody. I am trying to explain a democratic rule." He emphasized that Turkey could not engage in renewals after military coups. "Other methods should not be sought for a change in power. People should be elected through democratic means. Local administrations should also come to power through the same path and go back the same. This is an idea I’ve been defending for a long time."Çiçek also commented on the government’s opening to the Alevi community. He confessed that it was an issue that was long delayed, calling for contributions from all political parties in Parliament.