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Turkish PM to stand down
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Turkey's ruling party chief Tayyip Erdogan is one step closer to becoming prime minister after the incumbent said he would step down. Erdogan's election may also pave the way for a new vote in parliament on Washington's urgent request to deploy up to 62,000 troops in the NATO member ahead of a possible invasion of Iraq. Erdogan was banned from standing for parliament when his Justice and Development Party (AKP) won power because of a previous conviction for Islamist sedition. But after the AKP changed the law and Erdogan won a by-election on Sunday, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul has said he would make way for his party leader. Gul told reporters on Monday: "I will go to the president and open the way for a new government to be formed after he (Erdogan) takes the oath in parliament." Former Istanbul mayor Erdogan, 49, and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), won in the southern town of Siirt with 84.7 percent of the final vote count. Speaking at a victory rally on Sunday night, Erdogan said he accepted the outcome of the by-election and thanked everyone for his victory. "Democracy is alive and well," he told supporters. The poll was being watched closely in Washington. The installation of Erdogan, possibly in two weeks or less, may provide the chance for him to re-submit to parliament the U.S. troop deployment plan, which was unexpectedly rejected by parliament. (Full story) But the issue was not discussed on Monday during the last cabinet meeting of the current government. Erdogan had backed the proposal to allow U.S. soldiers to be based in Turkey but said he wanted more assurances from Washington on what role his country would play in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq before resubmitting the motion. The powerful military last week threw its weight behind a resubmission. Diplomats believe the four-month-old "dual power" between Gul and Erdogan, who has wielded enormous influence behind the scenes, has led to some uncertainty in talks with the United States and in preparation of a 2003 budget crucial to a $16 billion IMF crisis programme. Erdogan, a popular figure in the south east, faced little opposition in the election.
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Democracy is alive and well.
