Republic Protests on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Republic Protests ( tr, ) were a series of peaceful mass rallies that took place in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
in 2007 in support of a strict principle of
state secularism.
The first rally took place in
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
on 14 April 2007, just two days before the start of the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
process.
The second one took place in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
on 29 April.
The third and fourth rallies took place consecutively in
Manisa
Manisa (), historically known as Magnesia, is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.
Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port ci ...
and
Çanakkale
Çanakkale (pronounced ), ancient ''Dardanellia'' (), is a city and seaport in Turkey in Çanakkale province on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the city is 195,439 (2021 estimate).
Çanakkale is ...
on 5 May.
The fifth rally took place in
Ä°zmir
Ä°zmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
on 13 May.
The number of people gathering for the first protest in front of
Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara, was cited as ranging from "hundreds of thousands" to 1.5 million people.
In the second protest, more than one million people gathered for the protests in Çağlayan square,
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
according to
AFP and
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
.
The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
reported hundreds of thousands of people.
Over one million people reportedly participated in the fifth rally.
Antecedent
Turkey's preservation and maintenance of its
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
identity has been an issue and source of tension long before the demonstration. In the past, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan has spoken out against the active restrictions on wearing the Islamic-style
head scarves in government offices and schools, and taken steps to bolster religious institutions. According to the Guardian Unlimited, ErdoÄŸan showed his Islamist nature when he initiated a move in 2004 to criminalize
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
, which eventually failed under intense pressure from the secularist forces in the country and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, which Turkey has been
trying to join.
General
Yaşar Büyükanıt
General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt (1 September 1940 – 21 November 2019) was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.
Biography
General Yaşar Büyükanıt was born in Ist ...
,
Chief of the Turkish General Staff, warned against Islamic fundamentalism in October 2006. Prime Minister ErdoÄŸan replied that there was no such threat.
In a press conference two days prior to the demonstration, Büyükanıt stated: "We hope that someone is elected president who is loyal to the principles of the republic — not just in words but in essence." This statement was widely interpreted as a hint from the General urging Erdoğan not to run.
The serving president,
Ahmet Necdet Sezer
Ahmet Necdet Sezer (; born 13 September 1941) is a Turkish statesman and judge who served as the tenth president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Previously he was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from 1998 to 2002. The Grand Nationa ...
, aimed a clear swipe at ErdoÄŸan the day before the demonstrations by stating, "The threat which
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return ...
poses to the country is higher than ever."
Although the post is mainly ceremonial, the Turkish president has the power to veto laws if he holds them to be in violation of the
Constitution of Turkey, as well as to veto appointments to the highest positions of the state administration, such as the presidencies of universities and many public institutions. Sezer, a former chief of the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
, did so many times during his years in office.
In a recent poll by
Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''Hürriyet ...
, a majority of the participants agreed with the president's assessment.
On April 24, foreign minister
Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th President of Turkey, in office from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently served as bo ...
was announced as the official candidate of
Justice and Development Party, by ErdoÄŸan. His candidacy was controversial from the beginning due to his background of two proscribed Islamic political parties, and his statement "We want to change the secular system", in an interview published by
the Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
in 1995.
Nevertheless, additional concerns were also present, including the effect of the
hijab-style clothing of his spouse on Turkey's image,
who previously filed a case against Turkey for the ban in the public buildings.
First rally (TandoÄŸan, Ankara)
On 14 April the first protest took place in TandoÄŸan square in Ankara. The number of people gathering in front of
Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara, was cited as ranging from "hundreds of thousands" to 1.5 million people. The first protest was one of the largest that
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
had seen in years until then. The target of the first protest was the possible
presidential candidacy of the then
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (the outcome of which will be determined by the
Turkish Grand National Assembly
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Const ...
(unless the recent modifications on the constitution become ratified on time), in which ErdoÄŸan's
Justice and Development Party (AKP) has a healthy majority). ErdoÄŸan decided not to run for president after the rally.
The slogan of the protest was Claim Your Republic ( tr, Cumhuriyetine Sahip Çık).
According to the Ministry of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, who administer
Anıtkabir, 370,000 people visited the monument on that day,
but eyewitness accounts from those who participated say that at least twice that amount was not able to enter the crowded grounds (see photo). Police announcements gave conflicting numbers ranging from about 70,000 to 150,000 participants which was criticized among police officials themselves stating "such announcements hurt the credibility of the department."
CNN Türk
CNN Türk is a Turkish pay television news channel, launched on 11 October 1999 as the localised variant of American channel CNN. It broadcasts exclusively for Turkey and it is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Demirören Group. Its headquarte ...
spoke of more than 650,000 at the meeting.
The demonstrators had different motives, including the suspicion that ErdoÄŸan, who is thought to be attached to political Islam, will alter the
secular state. ErdoÄŸan's government denies having an Islamic agenda, but according to
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, some critics argue that the government is inching the country towards increased religious rule.
ErdoÄŸan has had run-ins with the law in the past: He was tried and convicted for "inciting religious hatred" and had consequently served a four-month jail term in 2000 while he was the Mayor of
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
, Turkey's most populous city.
According to the Guardian Unlimited, the pro-Islamic prime minister's party has been eroding secularists' longtime grip on power.
[ ]
The protest was initiated by the "
Atatürk Thought Association" ( tr, Atatürkçü Düşünce Derneği) and supported by around 300
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...
s in Turkey. First some 60,000 people who travelled from all over Turkey by bus arrived to the protest in the early hours of Saturday, 14 April. People travelled by train and the residents of Ankara joined the protest overfilling TandoÄŸan Square and the nearby streets two hours before the official beginning. Among the protesters were also leaders of the opposition parties,
Deniz Baykal
Deniz Baykal (born 20 July 1938) is a Turkish politician at the Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, abbreviated CHP) who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. Having served in ...
(
CHP),
Zeki Sezer
Mehmet Zeki Sezer (born 12 April 1957) is a Turkish politician and former chairman of the Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti, DSP), he was elected in the 6th ordinary party congress in 2004 after the resignation of Bülent Ecevit.
Ea ...
(
DSP
DSP may refer to:
Computing
* Digital signal processing, the mathematical manipulation of an information signal
* Digital signal processor, a microprocessor designed for digital signal processing
* Yamaha DSP-1, a proprietary digital signal ...
) and some professors of various universities wearing
academic regalia
Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary (and sometimes secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or similar), or hold a status that entitles them to assum ...
. Protesters, waving the
Turkish flag and carrying banners depicting Atatürk, chanted "Turkey is secular and will remain secular" ( tr, Türkiye laiktir laik kalacak) and "We don't want an
imam as president!" ( tr, İmam cumhurbaşkanı istemiyoruz). The demonstration in downtown Ankara ended at 13:00 local time (10:00 GMT). Afterwards, the crowd marched to the Anıtkabir to pay their respect to the founder of the republic.
During the demonstrations, flight above Tandoğan Square and Anıtkabir was banned. Twelve ambulances and eleven police
APCs were kept at standby in the surrounding streets.
A contingent of 10,000 police officers watched over the crowd,
but the demonstration ended peacefully.
Although the demonstrations received international media attention,
all but one (
Kanal Türk) of the local networks gave the demonstrations very little coverage.
Habertürk
''Habertürk'' (literally: "News Turkish"), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on March 1, 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July ...
director Melih Meriç said the lack of local coverage is because of political pressure.
Aftermath
On 16 April in an interview en route to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on board the prime minister's jet, ErdoÄŸan said that the demonstration would not affect his decisions (at the time he had not yet decided whether to run).
Bülent Arınç
Bülent Arınç (; born 25 May 1948) is a conservative Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007 and as a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey between 2009 and 2015.
Early life and education
He w ...
,
Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, commented that "they will elect a civilian, democratic and religious president". He also said that "not the regime but the power of the backers of
status quo was in danger".
In response to the protests Eyüp Fatsa, AKP group chief representative, stated that "if they
KPdecided to hold such a demonstration they could gather ten times as many people" and that the parliament does not decide based on crowd gatherings.
A
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
article that appeared in the
French newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
stated that if ErdoÄŸan became president, Turkey would face its greatest political crisis since the creation of the
Turkish Republic
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
in 1923, noting the intricate connections between the secular elites and the army, and that the Chief of the Turkish Armed Forces had warned people of the danger threatening Turkish secularism. The article also reported that the
Republican People's Party, the main opposition party, have declared their intention to leave the parliament and ask the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
to cancel ErdoÄŸan's running in the elections.
On 18 April
, the president of the Association of Turkish Businessman and Industrialists (
TÃœSÄ°AD), stated that she felt ErdoÄŸan would not stand as a candidate in the presidential election.
On 24 April after these weeks of debate over who would run for the presidency, foreign minister
Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th President of Turkey, in office from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently served as bo ...
was put forward as the only candidate.
, a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
reporter in Turkey for the Guardian, had published an article on 27 November 1995 following an interview with Abdullah Gül, who was then a member of the Welfare Party and made remarks such as "the Republican Era is over" tr, Cumhuriyet döneminin sonu gelmiştir. Immediately following the announcement, a group of 14 people was arrested for gathering to protest his candidacy in front of the
Çankaya Palace (the presidential complex). After the arrest, smaller groups also gathered, chanting "if carrying the Turkish flag is a crime, take us too" ( tr, Türk Bayrağı'nı taşımak suçsa bizi de alın). Drivers passing by reportedly showed support by waving flags from their cars. A similar protest took place in
KuÄŸulu park.
When asked about this at a reception,
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Ergin Saygun responded by quoting the 12 April speech of
Yaşar Büyükanıt
General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt (1 September 1940 – 21 November 2019) was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.
Biography
General Yaşar Büyükanıt was born in Ist ...
. When further inquired what he thought about the new commander-in-chief's wife having an Islamic headscarf, Saygun replied by saying that the answer to the question was inside it.
On 25 April when inquired about his wife's Islamic headscarf, Gül responded by saying his wife's decision should be respected and treated as a personal right.
The same day there was an assassination attempt on the
YÖK president Dr. Erdoğan Teziç who is known for his secularist remarks. Three rounds were fired by a 30-year-old man identified as Nurullah İlgün. İlgün was arrested the same day.
On 27 April, with only 353 parliamentarians present, the AKP failed to achieve a quorum of 367, and Gül's candidacy failed at the first round despite a majority of those present voting in favour. Due to the lack of necessary participation and several alleged violations of the constitution, the vote was taken to the constitutional court to be discussed over the weekend.
Later the same day the
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...
released a statement warning that they are a party to this debate and the absolute defender of secularism, and that when necessary they would display their attitudes and actions very clearly. This led to an increase in tensions between the AKP and the Turkish Armed Forces.
Second rally (Çağlayan, İstanbul)
On 29 April a second rally was organized to start at 13:00 local time.
Hundreds of thousands to more than one million gathered for the second protest at
Abide-i Hürriyet
The Monument of Liberty ( tr, Hürriyet Anıtı; ota, script=latn, Abide-i Hürriyet), in the Şişli-Mecidiyeköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, is a memorial in honour of the soldiers killed defending the Ottoman Parliament against rebel forces d ...
(Monument of Liberty) in Çağlayan square in Istanbul in support of
secularism in Turkey and against the candidacy of
Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th President of Turkey, in office from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently served as bo ...
in the
2007 presidential election.
The rally was organised by ''Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği'' (Association in Support of Contemporary Living), ''Cumhuriyet Kadınları Derneği'' (Association of Republic's Women), and other women's
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
's.
At 15:22, mobile phone base stations were overloaded. Mobile phones in and around Çağlayan became inoperable.
At 15:30,
Tuncay Özkan
Ahmet Tuncay Özkan (born 14 August 1966) is a Turkish journalist, writer and politician. He was arrested on September 27, 2008, in relation to the odatv case of the Ergenekon trials, and in August 2013 he was sentenced to aggravated life impri ...
, owner of
Kanaltürk, displayed a video of several statements by the then prime minister Erdoğan to the square full of protesters. These statements were:
*1993 - One can't be a
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
and a Muslim at the same time ( tr, "Hem laik hem Müslüman olunmaz")
*1997 - Will this democracy be the goal or the tool? ( tr, "Bu demokrasi amaç mı olacak, araç mı olacak?")
*2000 - Mr.
Öcalan is paying the price for the heads he had taken, not for his ideas ( tr, "Sayın Öcalan şu an düşüncelerinin değil aldığı kellelerin hesabını veriyor")
*:
Abdullah Öcalan is the leader of the armed militant group
Kurdistan Workers Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of south ...
(PKK) which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey,
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.
*2005 - The thing that unites us is the "upper identity" ( tr, "Bizi bir arada tutan şey üst kimliktir")
*2006 - I vouch for
Yassin al-Qadi ( tr, "
Yasin El Kadı'ya kefilim")
*:Yassin al-Qadi was allegedly among the people who
financially supported September 11, 2001 attacks
*2006 - Go and take your mother with you. ( tr, "Ananı da al git")
*:Comment was directed at a farmer in
Mersin asking for government assistance
*2006 - Your child can also be unemployed, why do we care? ( tr, "Senin çocuğun da işsiz kalsın napalım")
*:Comment was directed at an unemployed individual asking for government assistance
*2007 - Embarked forces of eighty-one provinces ( tr, "Seksen bir vilayetten bindirilmiş kıtalar")
*:Referring to the
previous protest in TandoÄŸan
At 16:00 the speeches ended and the crowds began to disperse. At 16:30 the protests officially ended without incident.
Aftermath
On April 30, the Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip ErdoÄŸan told he would address the country amid the crisis over the presidential election that has pitted secularists, including the army, against his
Islamist-rooted government.
On May 1 in his public address Prime Minister Erdoğan called for unity. He said: "Unity, togetherness, solidarity, these are the things we need most. We can overcome many problems so long as we treat each other with love,¨ he also said: "Turkey is growing and developing very fast ... We must protect this atmosphere of stability and tranquility,¨
[ ]
On May 2 the
Turkish Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court of Turkey ( tr, , sometimes abbreviated as ''AYM'') is the highest legal body for constitutional review in Turkey. It "examines the constitutionality, in respect of both form and substance, of laws, decrees having the for ...
ruled (9-2) that the first round of the presidential elections as void due to insufficient participation.
Haşim Kılıç
Haşim Kılıç (; born 13 March 1950, in Çiçekdağı, Kırşehir) was a high-ranked judge and the President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from 22 October 2007 until 10 February 2015.
Kılıç was born in Hacı Hasanlı village of Çià ...
and Sacit Adalı were the only two Constitutional court members who voted against this. Former presidential candidate Abdullah Gül stated that an election should be held as soon as possible and the people should elect the president directly.
ErdoÄŸan announced that there would be an early election on 24 June or 1 July.
ErdoÄŸan said that the constitutional court decision was a bullet to democracy.
Late that night Sabih KanadoÄŸlu, a former justice in
Turkish High Court of Appeals, objected the early vote and argued that it was unconstitutional. He also claimed that these attempts to maneuver around the law would lead to further crisis. KanadoÄŸlu was also the person who pointed out the "367 parliamentarian requirement" law.
A new controversy arose with the approaching end of term of the current president Sezer on 16 May. Speaker of the Parliament
Bülent Arınç
Bülent Arınç (; born 25 May 1948) is a conservative Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007 and as a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey between 2009 and 2015.
Early life and education
He w ...
stated that the current president "would have to unfortunately retire" which would make Arınç the proxy president until a president is elected. However lawmakers argue that the current president would continue to serve until a replacement is elected.
On May 3 Turkey's Parliament moved up elections to July 22, 2007, after the
Islamic-rooted ruling party and its secular opposition agreed that an early ballot was the only way out of their standoff over political Islam.
On May 4 the election calendar for the early election has been put forward. A total of 21 political parties have registered to run for the election. A
CNN International
CNN International (CNNI, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel that is owned by CNN Global. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and inte ...
QuickVote resulted in 24% Yes vs 76% No on a question whether or not the Turkish democracy was hurt by the warning of the Turkish military.
Third (Sultan, Manisa) and Fourth (Cumhuriyet, Çanakkale) rallies
On May 5 two rallies took place consecutively in
Manisa
Manisa (), historically known as Magnesia, is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.
Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port ci ...
and in
Çanakkale
Çanakkale (pronounced ), ancient ''Dardanellia'' (), is a city and seaport in Turkey in Çanakkale province on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the city is 195,439 (2021 estimate).
Çanakkale is ...
with tens of thousands of participants reported at each event.
The rally in Manisa started at 10:00 local time in Sultan square. Manisa is the hometown of
Bülent Arınç
Bülent Arınç (; born 25 May 1948) is a conservative Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007 and as a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey between 2009 and 2015.
Early life and education
He w ...
member of
AKP and current speaker of the Turkish parliament.
The rally in Çanakkale started at 13:30 with an estimated participation of 25,000 people. A contingent of 400 police officers watched over the crowd.
Aftermath
On 6 May Gül announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy right after a second vote which also failed because the parliamentary session did not achieve the 367-member quorum.
On 7 May an amendment to the Turkish constitution, allowing the president to be elected directly by the people rather than by a parliamentary vote, was passed by 350 votes to 56. Founder of
Borusan Holding Asım Kocabıyık stated that if the AKP gained 50% popular support in the upcoming general elections the country would be lost.
On 8 May a request by the
Young Party
The Young Party ( tr, Genç Parti, GP) is a populist political party in Turkey. The GENÇPARTİ does not have a chairperson officially.
History 2002 elections
Cem Uzan entered politics 90 days before the 2002 elections. Young Party was not ...
( tr, Genç Parti) to move the date for the early election to an earlier date of 22 June was declined.
On 9 May president Sezer implied that he would veto amendments to the Turkish constitution, stating that the amendments had been passed at a very heated time. The
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
raised a similar objection. Foreign (non-Turkish) press also reported the expectation of a presidential veto on the AKP's recent amendments to the Turkish constitution.
On 10 May further amendments to the Turkish constitution were officially passed by parliament, 376 to 1. According to the amendments, general elections will be carried out every four years rather than five. The president will now serve a maximum of two five-year terms instead of an unrestricted number of seven-year terms. The president will now be elected by the people rather than the parliament. President Sezer has 15 days to review the amendments and decide whether or not to veto and return the amendments to the parliament.
On 11 May when asked about the amendments to the Turkish constitution, which now allow the president to be elected directly by the people rather than by a parliamentary vote, Gül announced that his candidacy is ongoing, despite stating on 6 May that he had withdrawn his candidacy.
YÖK president Dr.
Erdoğan Teziç, who survived an assassination attempt on 25 April 2007 criticized the AKP heavily, stating that they do not just seek political power but also increased government power and also are trying to use YÖK to this end.
On 12 May a bomb placed on a bicycle was detonated in a market in Ä°zmir wounding fifteen people just a day before the scheduled "republic protest" in the city. One of the wounded was in a critical condition and later died in the hospital while most of the others were lightly wounded and were released from the hospital the same day. No one claimed responsibility for the bombing. A second abandoned bicycle caused some panic but it was later determined that it was harmless.
Fifth rally (Gündoğdu, İzmir)
On May 13 a fifth rally took place in Gündoğdu square,
Ä°zmir
Ä°zmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
.
Reportedly over one million people gathered in Ä°zmir for the rally to demand their country remain a
secular state, stepping up pressure on the Islamist-rooted
Justice and Development Party (AKP) government before
July elections. The municipal harbor officials confirmed that just the number of citizens traveling by public ferry to the event site numbered over 350,000.
Leaders of the three leftist parties, namely
Deniz Baykal
Deniz Baykal (born 20 July 1938) is a Turkish politician at the Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, abbreviated CHP) who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. Having served in ...
of the CHP,
Zeki Sezer
Mehmet Zeki Sezer (born 12 April 1957) is a Turkish politician and former chairman of the Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti, DSP), he was elected in the 6th ordinary party congress in 2004 after the resignation of Bülent Ecevit.
Ea ...
of DSP, and
Murat Karayalçın of SHP were also among the demonstrators.
Security for the event was tightened with 5,000 police officers watching over the rally.
Slogans from the rallies
*
e demandneither sharia, nor a coup, but a totally independent Turkey. ( tr, Ne şeriat ne darbe, tam bağımsız Türkiye.)
*:Referring to the statement by the Turkish Armed Forces with "coup" reference.
*:Referring to the roots of Erdoğan and Gül with "sharia" reference
*Turkey is secular, and secular it will remain. ( tr, Türkiye laiktir, laik kalacak.)
*We want no ABD-ullah as president! ( tr, ABD-ullah Gül'ü cumhurbaşkanı istemiyoruz!)
*:ABD ( tr, Amerika Birleşık Devletleri) is Turkish abbreviation of
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and hence a pun; USA-ullah
*Cabinet, resign! ( tr, Hükümet istifa!)
*Neither EU, nor USA. Totally independent Turkey! ( tr, Ne ABD, ne AB. Tam bağımsız Türkiye!)
*:ABD ( tr, Amerika Birleşık Devletleri) is Turkish abbreviation of
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
*:AB ( tr, Avrupa BirliÄŸi) is Turkish abbreviation of
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
*:The phrase "Totally independent Turkey" was a frequently used slogan by leftist student groups during the turmoil between 1960-1980.
*The roads to Çankaya are closed to sharia. ( tr, Çankaya'nın yolları, şeriata kapalı.)
*:Referring to where the presidential palace is located in Çankaya, Ankara
*Forefather, rest in peace, we are here. ( tr, Atam, rahat uyu, biz buradayız.)
*:Referring to
Atatürk as "forefather"
*We don't want an
imam in Çankaya. ( tr, Çankaya'da imam istemiyoruz.)
*:Referring to the background of ErdoÄŸan
*Tayyip take a look at us, count how many of us there are! ( tr, Tayyip baksana, kaç kişiyiz saysana!)''
*:Referring to the disdainful statements of ErdoÄŸan after the first protest "Goodness gracious, they're talking about millions" ( tr, Aman yarabbi, milyonlar falan)
*Turkey sobered up and the imam passed out! ( tr, Türkiye ayıldı, imam bayıldı!)
*:Seemingly referring to
ErdoÄŸan,
and as a pun to
imam bayıldı.
*Even
Edison regrets it! ( tr, Edison bile piÅŸman!)
*:Referring to the emblem of the
Justice and Development Party, which is an image of a lightbulb
*As the sun rises, lightbulbs dim. ( tr, Güneş doğunca, ampüller söner.)
*:Referring to the emblem of the
Justice and Development Party, which is an image of a lightbulb
*Buy Tayyip, get
Aydın Doğan
Aydın Doğan (born 15 April 1936) is a Turkish business magnate and investor. He is the founder of Doğan Holding, one of Turkey's largest conglomerates.
Biography
Born in 1936 as a member of a well-known family in Kelkit. DoÄŸan went to e ...
for free! ( tr, Tayyip'i alana, Aydın Doğan bedava!)
*:Referring to the Turkish media's lack of coverage of the TandoÄŸan rally. Media magnate
Aydın Doğan
Aydın Doğan (born 15 April 1936) is a Turkish business magnate and investor. He is the founder of Doğan Holding, one of Turkey's largest conglomerates.
Biography
Born in 1936 as a member of a well-known family in Kelkit. DoÄŸan went to e ...
's holding company owns 3 major news channels, including CNN Türk, and 5 major newspapers
*The Islamic call to prayer, the peal of church bells, and the ceremony of the synagogue are all listened to with respect in this city. ( tr, Ezan seslerinin, kilise çanlarının, sinagog ayinlerinin saygıyla dinlendiği şehir)
*:Referring to the implied 'infidel Izmir' slur by ErdoÄŸan.
*We came with our mother, where are you? ( tr, Annemizle geldik, neredesin?)
*:Referring to both the fact that
Ä°zmir
Ä°zmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
's Gündoğdu rally was held on
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...
and also the derogatory comment made by ErdoÄŸan to a farmer in
Mersin seeking government aid. ( tr, "Ananı da al git")
A particular message in that context was addressed by demonstrators from Ä°zmir district of
Karşıyaka
Karşıyaka () is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. The district extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of İzmir. Its centre is at a distance of to the north from the traditional cen ...
brandishing a photograph of Atatürk's mother
Zübeyde Hanım
Zübeyde Hanım (1856 – 15 January 1923) was the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. She was the only daughter of the Hacısofular family which included her two brothers. Zübeyde was born in Langaza vil ...
, who is buried in Karşıyaka .
See also
*
Gezi Park protests
A wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey began on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at the violent eviction of a sit-in at the park prote ...
*
Secularism in Turkey
*
2007 Turkish presidential election
The 2007 Turkish presidential election refers to two attempts to elect the country's 11th president, to succeed Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The most likely candidate for president was Abdullah Gül. Turkey's presidential office is regarded as the gu ...
*
2007 Turkish general election
General elections were held in Turkey on 22 July 2007 to elect 550 members to the Grand National Assembly. Originally scheduled for November, the elections were brought forward after parliament failed to elect a new president to replace Ahme ...
*
2002 Turkish general election
General elections were held in Turkey on 3 November 2002 following the collapse of the Democratic Left Party–Nationalist Movement Party– Motherland Party coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. All 550 members of the Grand National Assembly wer ...
References
External links
* - unofficial website
*
*Photo gallery of the 14 April protests in TandoÄŸan square, Ankara
**
*Photo gallery of the 29 April protests in Çağlayan square, Istanbul
*
**
**
**
*Photo gallery of the 13 May protests in Gündoğdu square, İzmir
**
**
{{Protests in Turkey
2007 in Turkey
2007 protests
Protests in Turkey
Secularism in Turkey
Turkish democracy movements