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IHSANOGLU ANNOUNCES HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN PROGRAM
Sabah Daily News, Turkey
July 10 2014
The joint candidate Ä°hsanoglu presented his roadmap for postelection
era if elected as president. Yet he preferred remaining silent on
certain questions
Daily Sabah
ISTANBUL - Ekmeleddin Ä°hsanoglu, the joint candidate of Turkey's
main opposition parties yesterday at a press conference in Istanbul
presented his election platform. He announced to the nation that his
campaign motto would be "Ekmek icin Ekmeleddin," which may mean both
"For Bread, Vote Ekmeleddin" and "For Sowing, Vote Ekmeleddin." "I am
the presidential candidate of all people," said Ä°hsanoglu, who added
that a president directly elected by the people would have political
power, contrary to previous presidents who were elected by Parliament.
He continued his speech by saying that he has a handful of seeds
in his hand and he wants to plant these seeds. "Let me plant love
so that love can spread" Ä°hsanoglu stated, who expressed he wants
peace and the stop of fights and violence.
Ä°hsanoglu's campaign slogan was outlined as "Ekmeleddin for bread",
his campaign slogan consists of a wheat field in the shape of the map
of Turkey. Other slogans which will be used for the campaign include
"Ekmeleddin to cultivate love, to cultivate prosperity and for bread."
According to Ä°hsanoglu, bread was chosen as a symbol because it has
a divine notion as it represents elbow grease, and a staple of the
Turkish nation.
The campaign highlights the idea that Ä°hsanoglu is not only a single
party's candidate but is the candidate of all Turkish people. On the
other hand, it is argued that Ä°hsanoglu has worked for the perpetuity
of Islam while underlining his nationalist side.
In response to a question about his remarks when he stated Turkey
should adopt a neutral stance regarding Israeli aggression towards
Gaza which received wide-range criticism as more Palestinians are
being killed, Ä°hsanoglu stated he supports peace in Palestine and was
the first person to establish a ceasefire between Hamas and Al-Fatah
while the campaign highlighted the idea that he is the only Turk to
receive the order of Palestine. He refuted the claims that he stated
Turkey should be neutral towards Israeli aggression and stated he
supports the Palestinian cause and has served the Palestinian people
for a long period.
Ä°hsanoglu also claimed the economic situation in Turkey was dire
when he stated there is a significant amount of poor people in the
country and the luxurious cars and roads portray a deceiving image as
he claimed many people are in debt. On the other hand, he stated he is
disadvantaged because his opponent Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently
the prime minister and will allegedly benefit from this. "Wherever
I go, I encounter people complaining about credit card debt which
keeps increasing as interest adds up" said Ä°hsanoglu, who stated the
president does not have financial authorities but can use his position
and authority to cooperate with them to resolve the matter. "The
president does not make roads but guides people to the right way" he
said and added that decreasing the gap between the poor and the rich
in Turkey is a matter of serious political commitment and understanding
and should be resolved collectively regardless of the party.
It was pointed out that Ä°hsanoglu left many important questions
unanswered, causing further public curiosity regarding his political
stance.
Ä°hsanoglu had already been criticized by his supporters for portraying
a different stance than the political parties which nominated him,
but this time caused further uncertainty by not answering several
crucial questions during his press conference.
At first a reporter asked Ä°hsanoglu about criticisms he received
for posing to cameras when holding a controversial ultra-nationalist
magazine Turk Solu (Turkish Left), with his photo on the cover,
during his election campaign at the iconic Ä°stiklal Street. However,
he avoided the questions and continued answering the next question.
Ä°hsanoglu posing with Turkish Left sparked ire among Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) supporters.
The Turk Solu is known with its discriminative front pages against
Kurds and hate speech against pro-MHP nationalists.
Ä°hsanoglu also kept silent on a question about his views on
government and intelligence officials holding talks with PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan, who is jailed on İmralı Island off the coast of
Ä°stanbul. Many analysts believe that he aimed to not anger nationalist
Turks by keeping silent over Ocalan question.
The MHP is known for its strong objection to the reconciliation
process, which is aimed at ending a decades-long conflict in southeast
Turkey by disarming the PKK while the BDP is accused of causing
difficulties throughout the crucial process. When asked about the
reconciliation process that is opposed by the CHP and labeled as
"treason" by the MHP, joint candidate Ä°hsanoglu upset both parties
by backing the reconciliation process and said, "if one is not for
adhering solution, then he is for war."
Ä°hsanoglu had also avoided speaking out his views on the Armenian
issue, including country's relations with Armenia and his stance
towards the 1915's tragic incidents.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the first step toward a
solution through sharing in Armenians' pain on April 24. PM Erdogan
had continuously offered to create a commission that would include
Turkish and Armenian historians to delve into the 1915 incidents. The
commission was to open Armenian, Turkish, British, German and Russian
archives to shed light on the issue. If the alleged genocide was
proven at the end of the commission's investigations, Turkey said
it was ready to admit the occurrence. Yet Armenian officials did
not accept the offer, putting forth several excuses. Turkey opened
nearly 100,000 archives, including Foreign Ministry and Prime Ministry
archives. Turkey also allows eligible researchers who meet requirements
to search Turkish Army archives.
According to major public research companies' surveys, pro-Kurdish
People's Democratic Party's (HDP) leader Selahattin DemirtaÅ~_
will receive about 8 to 10 percent of the public's support for his
presidential candidacy and Ä°hsanoglu is expected to receive about 35
to 40 percent. The most recent polls show that Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will receive above 50 percent in the first round of
the election and avoid second round of voting.
Ä°hsanoglu is the joint candidate of the Republican People's Party
(CHP) and the MHP and will be running against Selahattin DemirtaÅ~_
from the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and Recep Tayyip Erdogan
from the AK Party. The first round of presidential elections will
take place on August 10 when Turkish citizens will vote for their
president for the first time.
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/07/10/ihsanoglu-announces-his-election-campaign-program
Sabah Daily News, Turkey
July 10 2014
The joint candidate Ä°hsanoglu presented his roadmap for postelection
era if elected as president. Yet he preferred remaining silent on
certain questions
Daily Sabah
ISTANBUL - Ekmeleddin Ä°hsanoglu, the joint candidate of Turkey's
main opposition parties yesterday at a press conference in Istanbul
presented his election platform. He announced to the nation that his
campaign motto would be "Ekmek icin Ekmeleddin," which may mean both
"For Bread, Vote Ekmeleddin" and "For Sowing, Vote Ekmeleddin." "I am
the presidential candidate of all people," said Ä°hsanoglu, who added
that a president directly elected by the people would have political
power, contrary to previous presidents who were elected by Parliament.
He continued his speech by saying that he has a handful of seeds
in his hand and he wants to plant these seeds. "Let me plant love
so that love can spread" Ä°hsanoglu stated, who expressed he wants
peace and the stop of fights and violence.
Ä°hsanoglu's campaign slogan was outlined as "Ekmeleddin for bread",
his campaign slogan consists of a wheat field in the shape of the map
of Turkey. Other slogans which will be used for the campaign include
"Ekmeleddin to cultivate love, to cultivate prosperity and for bread."
According to Ä°hsanoglu, bread was chosen as a symbol because it has
a divine notion as it represents elbow grease, and a staple of the
Turkish nation.
The campaign highlights the idea that Ä°hsanoglu is not only a single
party's candidate but is the candidate of all Turkish people. On the
other hand, it is argued that Ä°hsanoglu has worked for the perpetuity
of Islam while underlining his nationalist side.
In response to a question about his remarks when he stated Turkey
should adopt a neutral stance regarding Israeli aggression towards
Gaza which received wide-range criticism as more Palestinians are
being killed, Ä°hsanoglu stated he supports peace in Palestine and was
the first person to establish a ceasefire between Hamas and Al-Fatah
while the campaign highlighted the idea that he is the only Turk to
receive the order of Palestine. He refuted the claims that he stated
Turkey should be neutral towards Israeli aggression and stated he
supports the Palestinian cause and has served the Palestinian people
for a long period.
Ä°hsanoglu also claimed the economic situation in Turkey was dire
when he stated there is a significant amount of poor people in the
country and the luxurious cars and roads portray a deceiving image as
he claimed many people are in debt. On the other hand, he stated he is
disadvantaged because his opponent Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently
the prime minister and will allegedly benefit from this. "Wherever
I go, I encounter people complaining about credit card debt which
keeps increasing as interest adds up" said Ä°hsanoglu, who stated the
president does not have financial authorities but can use his position
and authority to cooperate with them to resolve the matter. "The
president does not make roads but guides people to the right way" he
said and added that decreasing the gap between the poor and the rich
in Turkey is a matter of serious political commitment and understanding
and should be resolved collectively regardless of the party.
It was pointed out that Ä°hsanoglu left many important questions
unanswered, causing further public curiosity regarding his political
stance.
Ä°hsanoglu had already been criticized by his supporters for portraying
a different stance than the political parties which nominated him,
but this time caused further uncertainty by not answering several
crucial questions during his press conference.
At first a reporter asked Ä°hsanoglu about criticisms he received
for posing to cameras when holding a controversial ultra-nationalist
magazine Turk Solu (Turkish Left), with his photo on the cover,
during his election campaign at the iconic Ä°stiklal Street. However,
he avoided the questions and continued answering the next question.
Ä°hsanoglu posing with Turkish Left sparked ire among Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) supporters.
The Turk Solu is known with its discriminative front pages against
Kurds and hate speech against pro-MHP nationalists.
Ä°hsanoglu also kept silent on a question about his views on
government and intelligence officials holding talks with PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan, who is jailed on İmralı Island off the coast of
Ä°stanbul. Many analysts believe that he aimed to not anger nationalist
Turks by keeping silent over Ocalan question.
The MHP is known for its strong objection to the reconciliation
process, which is aimed at ending a decades-long conflict in southeast
Turkey by disarming the PKK while the BDP is accused of causing
difficulties throughout the crucial process. When asked about the
reconciliation process that is opposed by the CHP and labeled as
"treason" by the MHP, joint candidate Ä°hsanoglu upset both parties
by backing the reconciliation process and said, "if one is not for
adhering solution, then he is for war."
Ä°hsanoglu had also avoided speaking out his views on the Armenian
issue, including country's relations with Armenia and his stance
towards the 1915's tragic incidents.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the first step toward a
solution through sharing in Armenians' pain on April 24. PM Erdogan
had continuously offered to create a commission that would include
Turkish and Armenian historians to delve into the 1915 incidents. The
commission was to open Armenian, Turkish, British, German and Russian
archives to shed light on the issue. If the alleged genocide was
proven at the end of the commission's investigations, Turkey said
it was ready to admit the occurrence. Yet Armenian officials did
not accept the offer, putting forth several excuses. Turkey opened
nearly 100,000 archives, including Foreign Ministry and Prime Ministry
archives. Turkey also allows eligible researchers who meet requirements
to search Turkish Army archives.
According to major public research companies' surveys, pro-Kurdish
People's Democratic Party's (HDP) leader Selahattin DemirtaÅ~_
will receive about 8 to 10 percent of the public's support for his
presidential candidacy and Ä°hsanoglu is expected to receive about 35
to 40 percent. The most recent polls show that Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will receive above 50 percent in the first round of
the election and avoid second round of voting.
Ä°hsanoglu is the joint candidate of the Republican People's Party
(CHP) and the MHP and will be running against Selahattin DemirtaÅ~_
from the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and Recep Tayyip Erdogan
from the AK Party. The first round of presidential elections will
take place on August 10 when Turkish citizens will vote for their
president for the first time.
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/07/10/ihsanoglu-announces-his-election-campaign-program