Secularism in Turkey

The day after the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) scored its surprising election victory, it has reopened the issue of a new constitution based on a shift from the current parliamentary system to a presidential system.

More than 50 employees of several opposition media outlets that were recently placed under the management of a trustee panel have been relieved of their duties, daily Hürriyet has reported.

Creating a brand-new constitution will be one of the foremost tasks of the new government following the Nov. 1 polls, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has said.

I had to write this piece before I knew the election results, but it may not matter much, unless the results turn out to be a total surprise. Otherwise, it will not mat-ter much, since it is not going to be easy for Turkey to sort out this political crisis even if the Justice and Development Party (AKP) manages to get enough votes to form a majority government.

Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP), which had entertained hopes of making gains throug a constructive election campaign, failed to increase its votes significantly in the Nov. 1 polls, remaining the country's main opposition party.

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu has expressed his desire to form a single-party government through the votes of Turkish citizens, regardless of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's initiative to give the mandate if the CHP does not gain a majority of the vote in the upcoming Nov. 1 election.

It was Republic Day on Thursday, Oct. 29. I remembered this great quote of ?smet ?nönü, the second president of Turkey, that has been carved in my memory. "My biggest victory is my fiasco in these elections?"

Turkey had started its transition to multi-party life, to the march of real democracy, with these honest elections held in 1950. 

No, Turkey is not going through the same election and campaign days that U.S. President Barack Obama went through. 

And no, even his presidency would have been a joke had he ran for office in Turkey. But yes, unfortunately President Obama will be coming to a country that has physically shut down a TV station by force. Live. On TV. And that is a shame.

A day after caretakers shut down two television channels belonging to the Koza-?pek Group, control of the dailies Bugün and Millet were taken over on Oct. 29, hours after their printing were halted in the late hours of Oct. 28.

Just hours after a trustee panel shut down two television channels belonging to the Koza-?pek Group, dailies Bugün and Millet had their printing halted in the late hours of Oct. 28.