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AFP. 13 October 2002. Turkish communist party making history in election. ANKARA -- Turkey's Communist Party, banned more often than not in the course of its tumultuous 82-year history, is running in next month's general election under its "communist" name for the very first time. Its campaign platform is a simple triple "no" -- to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to the European Union and to war against Iraq. Set up three years before Ataturk proclaimed the Turkish Republic in 1923, the first Turkish communist party was banned in 1925 when the government adopted a series of repressive measures in the wake of a Kurdish rebellion. Its life has been an uphill struggle ever since. In 1990, two of its leaders were immediately jailed on returning from exile in Moscow and the party again banned. It was reborn last year and authorities have failed to prosecute it for campaigning under its "communist" name. It promises to cut all ties with the IMF, whose billion dollar loans have propped up the economy in the wake of a severe crisis, but also brought tough austerity measures. "We'll only meet the IMF people once -- when we say goodbye," says Metin Culhaoglu, a member of the party's central committee and ruling politburo. IMF loans are "not in the interest of the people," he says. At party headquarters, young militants work in groups preparing campaign leaflets and debating why communism broke down in eastern Europe and Russia. A large banner outside says: "No to the war." "This war next door will see our soldiers thrown into the fire if the United States ask us to invade northern Iraq," says Culhaoglu. And as for US allegations that Iraq is a danger for Turkey, it's nothing but "a great lie," he adds. "Iraq isn't even a threat to itself anymore. The party also stands apart from most mainstream parties in opposing Turkey's bid to join the European Union -- which last week refused to set a date for Ankara to begin membership talks. "Turkey will never be admitted to the EU," Culhaoglu says. But he does accept that the EU has helped prod Turkey along the road to greater respect for human rights, having himself served three years in jail for publishing an article critical of the regime after the 1980 military coup. Today authorities still pick on the party, but their efforts to keep it in check sometimes appear absurd. For the party's first electoral meeting, a week ago in Ankara, authorities demanded that party leaders refrain from voicing communist slogans and using loudspeakers. "They wanted a mute rally," said party spokeswoman Ozalid Ozsagman. The party won the day after taking the matter to court. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ProletarianNews http://www.utopia2000.org ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ##### ##### ##### ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ##### ##### ##### ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
