TURKEY: MILITANT RIGHT WING NATIONAL ACTION PARTY BEGINS CAMPAIGN FOR GENERAL ELECTION.

Record ID: 347435

  • Title: TURKEY: MILITANT RIGHT WING NATIONAL ACTION PARTY BEGINS CAMPAIGN FOR GENERAL ELECTION.
  • Date: 8th October 1969
  • Summary: CROWD WITH BANNERS: DUNDAR TASER SPEAKS: TURKES ARRIVES SURROUNDED BY COMMANDOS: TURKES SPEAKS. Initials MJS/VS/CT/OS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 23rd October 1969 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TAKSIM SQUARE, ISTANBUL, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Reuters ID: LVAJBPKGIZSPW4NT86PCMARHMDI
  • Story Text: YESTERDAY BROUGHT THE FIRST REPORTS OF VIOLENCE IN THE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS BEING CARRIED OUT BY TURKISH POLITICAL LEADERS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN THEIR COUNTRY ON OCTOBER 18TH.

    FIGHTING BROKE OUT AT A POLITICAL MEETING ADDRESSED BY TURKEY'S PRIME MINISTER SULEYMAN DEMIREL. IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT MR. DEMIREL'S JUSTICE PARTY WILL AGAIN BE VICTORIOUS AT THE POLLS, THOUGH WITH A SMALLER MAJORITY THAN IN 1965. THIS MAY FORCE THE JUSTICE PARTY TO FORM A CO-ALITION WITH ONE OF TURKEY'S SMALLER PARTIES.

    THERE ARE SIX OTHER PARTIES IN TURKEY. ONE OF THE MOST VOCIFEROUS IS THE NATIONAL ACTION PARTY (MHP). LED BY ALPASLAN TURKES, A FORMER REVOLUTIONARY OFFICER, THE MHP IS, AS ITS NAME IMPLIES, BOTH ULTRA-NATIONALIST, AND EXTREMELY MILITANT.

    IT AIMS AT THE YOUNG, AND CALLS ITS MILITANTS 'COMMANDOS'. TURKES HOPES TO TRAIN 100,000 OF THEM WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. ALREADY THIRTY FOUR CAMPS HAVE BEEN SET UP, IN SELF PROCLAIMED 'RESTRICTED AREAS' GUARDED BY ARMED SENTRIES AND DOGS. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT BETWEEN FOUR AND FIVE THOUSAND YOUNG PEOPLE ARE IN TRAINING. DUNDAR TASER, ANOTHER FORMER REVOLUTIONARY, FILMED BY OUR CAMERAMAN AT A CAMPAIGN MEETING WITH TURKES, IS NOW HEAD OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMME. WITH OTHER FORMER OFFICERS HE SCHOOLS THE COMMANDOS IN JUDO, BOXING, GUERRILLA COMBAT TACTICS, ISLAMIC RELIGION, AND THE MHP'S NINE-POINT DOCTRINE.

    THE COMMANDOS WEAR ARMBANDS, AND SALUTE THEIR COMMANDERS WITH NAZI TYPE CLENCHED FISTS. TURKES AND HIS AIDES ARE SAID TO SYMPATHISE WITH NAZI IDEAS. THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MHP IS THAT A NEW TURKEY SHOULD EMERGE - STRONGLY OPPOSED TO COMMUNISM AS WELL AS WESTERN CAPITALISM - ADOPTING A TURKISH CULTURE AND TRADITIONS, AND FOLLOWING A PURELY TURKISH ROAD TO INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT. THEY ASPIRE TO A LARGER TURKEY, AND ALSO CAMPAIGN AGAINST RELIGIOUS OR ETHNIC MINORITIES IN THE COUNTRY.

    IN A RECENT STATEMENT, TURKES SAID THAT HE AND HIS PARTY MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE POWER IN 1973. THE OCTOBER 18TH ELECTIONS MAY SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THIS RIGHT-WING ELEMENT, AND PERHAPS DECIDE WHETHER STABLE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE.
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