Turkey - Ecevit's Government Loses Majority in Parliament

Associated Press | July 16, 2002 | SELCAN HACAOGLU

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ANKARA, Turkey, Jul 16, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Turkey's crumbling government lost its majority in parliament Tuesday after six more coalition legislators resigned, and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit planned to meet with his allies to decide whether to step down.

Ecevit had said he would step down if he lost the majority, but he seemed to backtrack from his promise, saying he would confer with his coalition partners first.

"We don't want to rush to a decision, we will assess all possibilities," Ecevit told the Sabah newspaper.

The government now has exactly half the seats in the 550-member legislature, though with 13 empty seats the loss of a majority does not automatically bring down the government. For that to happen, the opposition needs to muster 276 votes for a no-confidence motion.

Leaders of the ruling coalition were due to meet later Tuesday to discuss demands for early elections, the Anatolia news agency reported. Elections are not scheduled until in 2004, but two of the three parties in Ecevit's coalition want to hold them as soon as September or November.

The government crisis comes as Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, the Pentagon's No. 2 official, began an official visit in Turkey on Tuesday to drum up support for a military action against neighboring Iraq. Turkey, NATO's sole Muslim member, has been a strong supporter of the U.S.-led anti-terrorism campaign.

Ecevit's government is on the verge of collapse following a wave of defections from his party and bickering among his partners over reforms the European Union has demanded for consideration for membership.

Since last week, 59 legislators have left Ecevit's Democratic Left Party. A group of nine lawmakers tried to persuade Ecevit on Tuesday to call an emergency party congress, a move that could pave the way for his replacement.

But the lawmakers said Ecevit rejected the call.

The leader of the government's nationalist wing, Devlet Bahceli, has called for early elections Nov. 3. Bahceli's party recalled parliament from its summer recess for Sept. 1 - a month early - to decide on whether to call an election.

Deputy Premier Mesut Yilmaz, backtracking from an earlier threat to quit the government, urged Ecevit to stay in office. "I hope Mr. Premier does not end this government by resigning," he said.

Yilmaz, who heads the coalition member Motherland Party, appealed to opposition parties to start parliament debate on EU-oriented reforms, which include contentious matters such as abolishing the death penalty and giving more rights to the Kurdish minority.

"Beginning tomorrow, we will start working toward recalling the parliament as soon as possible, the latest by the end of this month, to make the necessary legal amendments for EU membership," Yilmaz told a news conference Monday.

The center-right Motherland Party wants the reforms approved, while the coalition's nationalists - the largest party in the parliament - oppose them.

The government's future is also threatened by fears that Economy Minister Kemal Dervis might resign. Dervis offered to step down last week, but President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Ecevit both asked him to stay, fearing his departure would shake markets.

Turkey's economy shrank 9.4 percent last year amid mass layoffs.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved