-Caveat Lector- Factions Vie in Turkish Elections By LOUIS MEIXLER .c The Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's elections are emerging as a free-for-all between squabbling secular parties and an Islamic movement whose leaders have been hounded by the military and courts. Secular Turks say the disunity could again propel the Islamic party into a leadership position after Sunday's vote. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's center-left party has been climbing in the polls, boosted by public euphoria over the mid-February capture of Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan. But his Democratic Left Party is expected to capture only 20 percent of the vote, about as much as the Islamic Virtue Party, the largest in parliament. Most of the other votes are expected to be divided between four major secular parties. They all agree on the need for a pro-Western foreign policy and economic privatization, but personality disputes among their leaders divide them. ``Turkey cannot tolerate living through chaos again,'' the daily Sabah newspaper wrote in a front-page editorial, saying that a future coalition between Ecevit and a center-right secular party was needed for stability. Revolving coalition governments formed by feuding secular parties combined with a harsh crackdown by the military and courts against the Islamic movement has created political instability in the past. The military helped force Virtue's predecessor from government in 1997 and the courts have jailed the charismatic ex-mayor of Istanbul on charges of inciting religious hatred after he read a religious poem at a political rally. Virtue Party leader Recai Kutan told voters Saturday in the central city of Kayseri, a stronghold of the Islamic movement, that their ballots will ``strike at those who (hurt) human rights, democracy and freedom.'' But many analysts say he may be ignored by some voters who fear provoking the military. ``The Virtue Party's vote will show how much political Islam is surviving in Turkey,'' said Oral Calislar, a columnist with the Cumhuriyet newspaper. He added that he does not expect the party to get more than the 20 percent its predecessor received in the last elections. The party, however, could find a place in a coalition government if the secular parties are unable to band together. In the largely Kurdish southeast, the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party, or HADEP, appears poised to capture key mayorships, a development that would be certain to raise the concerns of the all powerful Turkish military, which is at war with autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels. Security forces broke up one of the party's rallies and have barred Kurdish candidates from towns where they are running. ``There is so much pressure on HADEP in Turkey that they cannot compete freely,'' Calislar said. The vote in the southeast will be closely watched as a gauge of public sentiment following Ocalan's capture. The war has claimed 37,000 lives. On Saturday, Turkish soldiers killed eight Kurdish rebels, including a commander, the Anatolia news agency reported. The fighting was touched off by a rebel ambush on a military convoy Friday that killed six soldiers. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
