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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001879 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL 
JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
 
 
MONDAY, JULY 23, 2007 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Parliamentary Election Results 
All papers report that PM Erdogan's AKP is the winner of yesterday's 
general elections, receiving the 46.6 percent of the votes.  With 
this percentage AKP will have 340 seats in the Parliament and will 
be able to form a single-party government for the second time.  Main 
opposition party CHP got 20.9 percent of the votes, MHP 14.2 
percent, and independents 5.2 percent of the votes, reports 
mainstream Sabah.  Fifty-two female candidates entered parliament, 
31 from AKP, 10 from CHP, 2 from MHP and 9 Independents supported by 
the mainly Kurdish DTP.  Out of 28 Independent candidates elected to 
Parliament, 23 of them are supported by the DTP.  Participation in 
the general election was 85.1 percent, adds Sabah. 
 
Papers point out that although three parties crossed the 10% 
election threshold, there will be seven parties in parliament.  DTP 
has 23 deputies, DSP will be represented with 13 deputies who ran 
under the CHP banner, ODP and BBP will be the 6th and 7th parties in 
the parliament because their leaders Ufuk Uras and Muhsin Yazicioglu 
were elected as independents.  Papers also speculate that former PM 
Mesut Yilmaz, who also was elected as an independent, may lead a 
political party in the future. 
 
DP leader Agar resigned from his party chairmanship when initial 
results showed that his party would remain under the 10 percent 
threshold.  Party vice chairman Nuzhet Kandemir also resigned. 
 
Mainstream Milliyet reports that MHP leader Bahceli said in a 
written statement after learning the results, that the nation had 
"designated the party to perform the duty of the opposition" for the 
second time and that "holding elections in a democratic atmosphere" 
was a "pleasing fact" and "all should respect the decision of the 
people." 
 
Milliyet notes that although AKP came out victorious from the 
elections, it could not get the 367 seats required for a quorum to 
start the Presidential election process which is the most critical 
political issue in the near future. 
 
Papers also report that addressing his party supporters in front of 
the AKP headquarters PM Erdogan said "we got the message from the 
ballot box.  The responsibility on the shoulders of the party has 
increased and we will "never compromise the basic principles of our 
republic."  PM Erdogan added that the government will continue 
pursuing the EU goal and the fight against terrorism will continue. 
 
Editorial Opinion on Election Results: 
 
"The Victory" 
Gungor Mengi writes in the mainstream daily Vatan: "As winner of the 
election, the AKP should act with responsibility.  They have to act 
in the spirit of reconciliation and should take steps to eliminate 
the perception that AKP is anti-secular.  With this election result, 
the center-right parties of Turkey have been dissolved.  AKP should 
take steps to fit itself into this category.  Also it is very 
obvious that [main opposition] CHP should go through a 
transformation and get rid of its 'pro status quo' and conservative 
identity. Deniz Baykal, the leader of CHP, has an immediate task to 
fulfill: bringing contemporary leadership to CHP under a young 
leader.  He should start working on this immediately before even 
swimming to Rhodes [as he said he would if his party had a poor 
showing]." 
 
"Thanks to the Army" 
Avni Ozgurel writes in the liberal-intellectual daily Radikal: "The 
AKP has achieved something very unique by managing to increase its 
percentage while ruling.  No government party in the last 53 years 
has done this.  Interestingly enough, AKP support was about 26 
 
ANKARA 00001879  002 OF 002 
 
 
percent as of last April.  However, the developments which started 
with the military's e-warning and continued with the [disruption of 
the] presidential election process, helped AKP and its leader 
Erdogan gain more popular support.  Let's hope that at least 
supporters of the military warning have now realized the big 
mistake." 
 
"Civilian Democratic Coup" 
Ibrahim Karagul writes in the Islamist leaning daily Yeni Safak: 
"The election results indicate two facts: 1) Turkish people neither 
favored state bureaucratic nationalism nor ethnic Kurdish 
nationalism; and 2) even though CHP is number two in the parliament 
in terms of seat-numbers, MHP is going to be the real opposition to 
the AKP.  The Turkish political structure is undergoing significant 
changes.  Both the rhetoric and the nature of the debates will 
change.  With these results, this is clearly a civilian democratic 
coup." 
 
"Turkey: One Big Family" 
Ertugrul Ozkok writes in the mass appeal daily Hurriyet: "Prime 
Minister Erdogan promised to become a political leader for all of 
Turkey as part of his election campaign strategy.  The level of 
support for the AKP indicates that his promise was taken seriously 
by people.  The fact of the matter is that the percentage of AKP 
support should not and cannot be interpreted as religiously 
motivated votes.  Such an interpretation is not only an irrational 
thought but also it is against sociological facts.  Erdogan as well 
as his party is now located squarely in the center-right of the 
political spectrum." 
 
 
Allegations on US Selling Weapons to Arab Tribes in Kirkuk 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet and Islamist-oriented Zaman report 
that the police chief in Kirkuk Serhat Kadir claimed on Kurdistan 
Patriotic Union Party's official internet site that the US military 
started supplying weapons to Arab tribes in and around Kirkuk. 
Kadir added that they are concerned that the Arab tribes will form 
illegal militias after owning the US weapons. 
 
 
TV News: 
(NTV, 6 A.M.) 
Domestic News 
 
Holiday resorts in the Aegean and Mediterranean emptied out as 
voters returned to their homes for the elections 
 
US Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Bryza praised Turkish elections 
saying that 'This is a big success for Turkish democracy." 
 
 
International News 
 
EC President Barroso urged EU member states not to shut the door on 
Turkey for membership negotiations. 
 
Tony Blair, the new special envoy for the Middle East peace quartet 
will meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders on Tuesday 
 
Four Lebanese soldiers were killed and 15 wounded when a building 
exploded when they entered a Palestinian refugee camp where some 
Al-Qaeda militants were living. 
 
WILSON