The Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah, which was announced last month in Cairo, appears to have ended before it started.
It now turns out that the gap between the two rival parties remains as wide as ever, in spite of the accord. Hamas and Fatah continue to disagree on almost everything.
They disagree on who would head a new Palestinian unity government, on members of the government, on the government's political platform, on the future of the peace process with Israel, on security coordination with Israel, on the Palestinian Authority's relationship with the United States and European Union and on the role of the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
But there are other things where Fatah and Hamas do see eye to eye.
Both parties agree on the need to restrict freedom of speech and the media. The two Palestinian governments continue to display intolerance toward any form of criticism, regardless of its source.
Palestinian journalists and political activists who dare to criticize the governments in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip face arrest, harassment and intimidation. This explains why there is not a single Palestinian opposition newspaper in the West Bank or in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas and Fatah also agree on the need for each party to stay in power at all costs. That's why they don't want to hold new elections. In many ways, the status quo is not bad for the two parties.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority continues to receive millions of dollars in financial aid from the international community. The Palestinian Authority's leaders hold Israeli-issued VIP cards that allow them to travel freely, especially to fancy hotels and restaurants in Tel Aviv.
The VIP cards also allow the Palestinian leaders to pass through Israeli checkpoints without having to wait in line together with ordinary Palestinians.
The status quo is also good for the Palestinian Authority leadership because it is no longer being held responsible for what happens in the Gaza Strip. For example, no one holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on Israel.
Hamas, on the other hand, has learned from the Palestinian Authority that, in order to stay in power, it must tighten its grip over the population in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas and Fatah agree that democracy and transparency is something that they can live without. They share the perception that repressive police states are the only way to control their people.
Finally, Hamas and Fatah agree on the need to blame Israel all the time for the miseries of the Palestinians. Neither party is prepared to accept responsibility for any wrongdoing.
Iranian Mullah Responsible for Terrorist Attacks in Argentina
Iran is investing in strengthening the political and economical relations with several countries in Latin America. It is also actively engaged in religious proselytizing, particularly aimed for the poorest sectors of the Latin American society. Converts to Islam eventually undergo religious and political training, including in Iran, to prepare these new adherents to become instruments and agents of the Iranian regime.
Mohsen Rabbani, an Iranian mullah and a former cultural attaché in Argentina, is a leading figure in spreading Islam in Latin America, particularly in Brazil. Rabbani, while in the service at the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, was involved in the planning and implementation of the deadly terrorist attack on the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish cultural center of 1994 that resulted in 85 dead and more than 150 injured. Rabbani's involvement in the bombing was persistently denied by Iranian authorities. In 2007, however, Interpol finally decided to issue a Red Notice for Rabbani, which is an arrest warrant with a view to extradite.
Despite the arrest warrant, Rabbani, who is presently the director of Oriental Thought Cultural Institute in the Iranian city of Qom, continues, unabated, to proselytize in Latin America. According to Brazilian sources, he has traveled several times to Brazil under a false identity in order to recruit new converts to Islam. According to Argentine prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, charged to investigate the AMIA attacks in Buenos Aires, "Rabbani is a serious security threat, including in Brazil. In Argentina, he spread his vision of radical, extremist, and violent Islam, which resulted in dozens of casualties during the Buenos Aires terrorist attacks. Now, based in Iran, he continues to play a significant role in the spread of extremism in Latin America."
The activity Rabbani is developing in Belo Jardim, in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, where local police have found evidence that the recruitment of Brazilians, and subsequent traveling to Iran, involves more than spiritual enlightenment through religion, is particularly alarming. Along with the recruits in Belo Jardim, youth from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico are also traveling to Iran.
The Brazilian Federal Police has information that Rabbani, in one of his latest visits to Brazil, used methods that could cause a "diplomatic crisis." The Iranian mullah embarked a plane in Tehran bound for Caracas, Venezuela. From there, he entered Brazil illegally. Operated by Iran's state airline, the Tehran-Caracas flight was called "Aeroterror" by intelligence officials, for allegedly facilitating the access of terrorist suspects to South America. The Venezuelan government hid the passenger lists from Interpol on that flight. Rabbani's movements were being monitored, the idea being to detain him in Brazil. Notified, the Federal Police set up an operation, but the order to execute the operation took longer than anticipated, due to complicated discussion about the political implications. Once again, Rabbani managed to escaped.
In the 675 pages complied by the Argentinean Investigation Unit of the Office of the Attorney General on the AMIA terrorist attack, it is reported that one of the ways used by Rabbani to secure an individual's loyalty is to send them to Iran so as to deepen their knowledge of Islam.
One of Rabbani's favorite disciples in Latin America is Sheik Karim Abdul Paz, an Argentinian convert to Shiite Islam, who formerly went by the name, Santiago Paz Bullrich. He used to be the imam of the Iranian-run al-Tahuid Mosque in Buenos Aires. Now he is imam of the Islamic Cultural Center in Santiago de Chile. He studied in Qom, and became a leading figure of Shiite Islam in Latin America. He doesn't hide his sympathies for Middle Eastern terrorist groups and maintains that the Shiite group, Hezbollah, is not a terrorist movement, but a "fundamental part of the heroic worldwide resistance against the U.S. and Israel's terrorist imperialism". This, apparently, is what Rabbani is teaching to Latin American converts during his spiritual courses in Iran.
April 20, 2011
Rabbani brings Brazilian converts to Iran
The man pictured– white beard, wearing brown, and his head wrapped in a turban — is the Iranian Mohsen Rabbani. Among the seventeen people who surround him are eight Brazilians. Rabbani is considered by these people to be a teacher. The classroom is located in the Iranian city of Qom, a place sacred to Shiite Muslims. New converts to Islam, the young Brazilians traveled to Iran, all expenses paid, to deepen their religious knowledge. Recruiting or proselytizing is common to all faiths. In this case, however, distortions are disturbing. Rabbani is not a teacher, either.
The Brazilian weekly, Veja, revealed two weeks ago that, in addition to being one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, he is also responsible for recruiting young Brazilians for courses on "religious training." What this terrorist, named as a perpetrator of one of the bloodiest attacks in history, and responsible for the deaths of over a hundred people, may be teaching the Brazilians is a major concern of the authorities. The clues uncovered so far to unravel this mystery are not encouraging.
"Professor" Rabbani is wanted for his involvement in acts of terrorism since November 9, 2006. His capture is considered so vital that Interpol has included his name in a so-called "red notice," a select list of most wanted people in the world. The international arrest warrant against Rabbani was issued by Argentinean courts. He is considered one of the masterminds behind two attacks on Jewish targets in Buenos Aires, which killed 114 people in 1992 and 1994. Rabbani was an Iranian embassy official in Argentina's capital. With diplomatic status, he is now protected by the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — and responsible for the recruitment of followers throughout Latin America, promising religious influence and also money. Rabbani's effort to amass followers in the poor regions of Brazil, with no tradition linked to Islam, is noteworthy.
"Rabbani is a serious security threat, including in Brazil. In Argentina, he spread his vision of radical, extremist, and violent Islam, which resulted in dozens of casualties during the Buenos Aires terrorist attacks. Now, based in Iran, he continues to play a significant role in the spread of extremism in Latin America," prosecutor Alberto Nisman, head of the special unit of the Argentine prosecutors charged with investigating the attacks, told Veja.
Rabbani's courses are an entryway for terrorism
The enticement of Brazilians for courses abroad has been monitored for four years by the Federal Police and the ABIN, the government's secret service. It is Rabbani himself, with help from people he trusts, who chooses those who will travel. From 2007 until today, three groups of Brazilians have visited Iran. There are plenty of reasons for such surveillance. The course has a strong religious content. But that is not what is of concern. Students from one of Rabbani's groups have confided that, during these travels, they have visited the premises of the radical Lebanese group Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by many countries, including the United States. Reports to which Veja had access say that Rabbani's courses are some sort of an entryway for terrorism. According to these documents, the classes include radical preaching and training in military camps.
The city of Belo Jardim, a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco, is the most active center for the recruitment of extremists. Of the eight selected Brazilians for the first class taken to Iran in late 2007, four were from Belo Jardim. A brother of Mohsen Rabbani, who lived in Curitiba, personally took care of recruitment. Today, this Pernambuco city of 58,000 inhabitants deserves constant attention from the Federal Police and ABIN. Among the Brazilians lured are: a taxi motorcyclist, a schoolteacher, an official of the Banco do Brasil, and an English teacher — all from humble backgrounds. The motorcyclist,Erlan Batista Machado, had never been on a plane until he flew to Sao Paulo, and from there to Iran, where he studied at the invitation of Rabbani. In Iran, he gained a new name: Sayd. Approached by Veja, Erlan said he accepted the invitation because he wanted to know more about Islam. "It was a wonderful experience," he said. He said he never had contact with terrorists or with radical groups.
The reaction of Professor Joao Adriano Oliveira was the same when asked about the matter: "It was just a religion course." Joao Adriano, who teaches in a public school and is learning the Arabic language, was a natural leader of the group formed in Belo Jardim. Renamed Abu Husayn, it was his responsibility to make contacts with the brother of Rabbani and with Iran. Travel expenses were paid by a foundation coordinated by Rabbani and sponsored by the Ahmadinejad government. Joao and his classmates also received small amounts of money during their period of stay in Iran. They came back with a promise from Rabbani to donate $350,000 to build a mosque in the city.
Messages exchanged between the group, and intercepted by Brazilian police, reveal that the goal of recruiting Brazilians and traveling to Iran involves more than spiritual enlightenment through religion. The messages contained evidence that the group and its leaders in Iran have something to hide. The report also had access to e-mails exchanged by Joao Adriano (Abu Husayn) and Rodrigo Jalloul, a Sao Paulo resident who went to Iran for almost four years and remained there. Today, according to the investigation, he is the right arm of Rabbani for matters that relate to clandestine activities in Brazil. In a message dated April 5, 2010, Joao warned Adriano Jalloul, who planned to come to Brazil for a visit, of the existence of investigations into the group: "The Federal Police got involved in an investigation into Hezbollah money laundering. We can talk more about this some time, but I believe that, as of today, we have been monitored for more than one (sic). If you come, do it in a secretive manner, at the last minute, and only let us know when you are in the region."
Fiery speeches against Israel and Jews
The papers of the Brazilians seized by police included an annex to the document illustrated in this report. They make reference to Hezbollah and reproduce fiery speeches against Israel and Jews. The students of extremism in Iran have brought along pictures of facilities maintained by the Lebanese group on Iranian soil – the itinerary included excursions to various regions of the country and visits to religious and political leaders. "It has nothing to do with terrorism. What we learned here is religion. Mr. Rabbani tells us that these accusations against him are all untrue," Rodrigo Jalloul told Veja. But that's not what those responsible for surveillance of terrorist movements in Brazil think. The police "Our biggest fear is that militants are being recruited for future terrorist attacks here, and for that reason we must redouble our attention towards these trips, especially because we will soon have in Brazil global events like the Olympics and World Cup, which can encourage these people to commit extreme acts."
Along with the recruits in Belo Jardim, youth from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico traveled to Iran. The group's ties to South America go beyond recruitment. The Federal Police has information that Rabbani came to Brazil a few times in recent years. In one of those visits, almost three years ago, he used methods that would be cause enough for a diplomatic crisis. The extremist embarked in Tehran bound for Caracas, Venezuela. From there, he entered Brazil illegally. Operated by Iran's state airline, the Tehran-Caracas flight was called "Aeroterror" by intelligence officials for allegedly facilitating the access of terrorist suspects to South America. The Venezuelan government shields passenger lists from Interpol on that flight. Professor Rabbani's movements were being monitored. The idea was to detain him in Brazil. Notified, the Federal Police set up an operation, but the order to execute this operation took a while, due to a complicated discussion about the political implications. Once again, the extremist escaped. Veja (Brazil), translation by InterAmerican Security Watch
April 4, 2011
Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas in Brazil
The Brazilian weekly, Veja, said several reports by the Brazilian Federal Police and the U.S. government warned that at least 20 high-ranking members from the three organizations -- al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas -- are currently operating in the so-called "Triple Frontier" area, shared by Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.
The Brazilian government has always denied the existence of any activities linked to these Islamic groups, but has admitted that a large portion of the Lebanese community living in the country legally sends large sums of money to the Middle East.
Rabbani visits his brother in Brazil
Also under investigation, according to the article published on Sunday, is Mohsen Rabbani, a former cultural attaché to the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, who is suspected of being involved in the 1992 and 1994 terrorist attacks against the Jewish community in Argentina. Apparently, Rabbani "frequently flies to Brazil under a fake identity in order to visit a brother living in Curitiba."
According to Interpol authorities and intelligence agents in Brazil, his last visit to Brazil was in last September 2010. Veja reports that the ABIN (Brazil's intelligence agency) found out that Rabbani took over 20 young men from the Greater Sao Paulo area, Pernambuco and Parana to a meeting in Tehran in which they would be instructed on religious formation. Merco Press (South Atlantic News Agency)
Ankara Hosts Talks on Palestinian Unity
AK Group
June 24, 2011 at 3:00 am
Turkey has rolled up its sleeves to salvage a plan for Palestinian unity as it hosts Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas in Ankara, among parallel efforts to normalize ties with Israel.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been visiting Ankara since Tuesday, and the Fatah figurehead is scheduled to meet with Turkish leaders on Thursday. Ahead of the meeting, officials were also testing the ground for Palestinian reconciliation by hosting Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, who met Tuesday in Istanbul with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
"They discussed the issue of Palestinian unity and regional affairs," a Turkish diplomat, on condition of anonymity, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Wednesday.
Meshaal, however, was scheduled to leave Turkey on Wednesday as the Daily News went to print, and was not expected to meet Abbas, the diplomat added. Palestinian Embassy officials also confirmed to the Daily News that a meeting with Meshaal was not scheduled, adding that they had been unaware that the Hamas leader would visit Turkey. Last month, the secularist Fatah and the Islamist Hamas signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo that was supposed to pave the way toward Palestinian reunification.
But it has floundered due to disagreement on who should be named prime minister. A meeting in Cairo on Tuesday between Abbas and Meshaal was postponed due to Hamas' opposition to the appointment of the Western-backed, Salam Fayyad, to the post. Davutoğlu, meanwhile, discussed the matter with Egyptian counterpart Nabil Elaraby on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Abbas will hold talks with President Abdullah Gül on Thursday and meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday.
"Turkey will do its best for reconciliation between Palestinians," Davutoğlu told reporters in Konya on Wednesday, adding that he had spoken to Meshaal in this regard.
Meanwhile, Turkey and Israel could take a further step toward normalizing ties if they can reconcile on a final U.N. report on last year's deadly Mavi Marmara incident, diplomatic sources said. "We should watch and see whether the report will be satisfactory for both sides, or if there could be a compromise that satisfies both sides. Then it would be a very big step ahead. If not, maybe we'll change a bit of the atmosphere but in substance we'll be stuck," the diplomat said. The possibility of a bigger thaw in ties comes in the wake of reported secret talks between Israeli and Turkish officials, as well as an Israeli letter congratulating Erdoğan on his election win.
Hamas Chief Arrives in Turkey
Hamas chief, Khaled Meshaal, has arrived in Turkey; a day after Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas began a four-day visit.
Meshaal was currently in Istanbul; it was not immediately clear whether he would meet with Abbas.
Turkish Foreign Ministry officials contacted by the Hurriyet Daily News would not comment.
Abbas arrived in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon as Palestinian officials reported disagreements between his Fatah faction and Hamas over the formation of a unity government.
Turkish officials said Abbas would have a "private program" before talks on Thursday and Friday with President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
Cancellation of Dicle's Parliament Membership Clear, Election Board Chief Says
The president of Turkey's Supreme Board of Election (YSK), Ali Em, said Wednesday that their decision to cancel Hatip Dicle's parliament membership was clear.
Speaking to reporters in the capital of Ankara, Ali Em said YSK's decision on Dicle was published in the Official Gazette and it was very clear. "In our decision, we elaborated on objecting to the decision and possibly changing it," Em said.
When reminded that Dicle asked for an additional period to make defense, Em said that the defense reached them and they made a decision accordingly. Our decision on Dicle covers all answers to possible questions, Em said.
Meanwhile, Dicle's attorney, Levent Kanad, arrived at the YSK on Wednesday to obtain YSK's decision on Dicle. Kanad told reporters that they would review the decision and that, according to laws, they had no right to object to YSK's decision on Dicle.
Turkey's Supreme Board of Election decided to cancel Hatip Dicle's parliament membership on Tuesday. Turan Karakaya, acting president of the Board, said that they decided to drop Dicle's membership after the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the one-year, eight-month imprisonment term for Dicle on charges of disseminating propaganda to a terrorist organization.
"According to the Constitution, those who are sentenced to imprisonment terms of a year or more cannot be elected as deputy. Dicle has lost his chance to become a lawmaker since he was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison," he said.
YSK's decision came after a seven-hour meeting on Tuesday.
Dicle was elected as an independent deputy from the southeastern province of Diyarbakir during the June 12 parliamentary elections.
Ankara's Chief Prosecutor's Office with Special Authority filed a lawsuit on March 31, 2008 against Dicle on charges of disseminating propaganda to a terrorist organization. In 2009, Ankara Criminal Court sentenced him to one year and eight months in prison, but Dicle appealed the verdict. The Supreme Court of Appeals' Criminal Department upheld Dicle's prison term in March 2011.
Dicle is also currently on trial at the 6th High Criminal Court in Diyarbakir as a suspect of the investigation into the terrorist organization's urban branch KCK. He has been in custody since December 2009, as part of the KCK probe.
Veto on Elected MP Sparks New Stand-Off
The pro-Kurdish political party has called for a boycott of Parliament in the wake of a court decision to bar an independent candidate.
A decision by Turkey's electoral board quashing a Kurdish deputy's right to enter Parliament has thrown Turkey into a new crisis, with the candidate's colleagues threatening to boycott the legislature in a move that could raise political tensions.
The Democratic Society Congress, or DTK, an umbrella organization of pro-Kurdish groups, called on 35 newly elected Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, members to boycott Parliament following the Supreme Election Board, or YSK's, decision.
"We will either enter Parliament with 36 deputies or not enter at all. The election board's decision is unacceptable for both the people of Diyarbakır and others in the region," said Filiz Kocali, co-chair of the BDP. "It is now the election board and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's job to find a solution. This ruling ignores the people's will, and is provocative as well as unjust and unlawful."
The decision prompted the BDP to convene Thursday morning in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır to sketch out their next move.
The party is considering avoiding the parliamentary oath-taking ceremony, as well as initial parliamentary sessions; in doing so, they would eventually be barred from participating in Parliament's legislative and supervision activities.
The BDP had already said before the YSK's decision that they would likely boycott Parliament if six BDP-backed independent deputies, including Dicle, were not released from prison, where they are being held pending the ongoing investigation into the Kurdish Communities Union, or KCK, which is alleged to be the urban wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
"Why was this decision not taken in the past?" asked independent Batman Deputy Bengi Yıldız, pointing out that such a decision would stir up the region, and the YSK was aware that the decision would precipitate a reaction. "This decision will result in irreversible damage."
Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, DTK co-chair Ahmet Türk said the decision regarding Dicle was neither legal nor ethic.
"Our people will show their democratic response to this unlawful decision. They will not stand by idly, they will show their democratic opposition strongly," Türk said.
The YSK's decision drew a variety of reactions from political parties Wednesday, with the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, remaining distant to the decision as the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, criticized the move.
"Common sense should [rule]; the country's spirits should not be spoiled," AKP Deputy Leader Hüseyin Çelik said.
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç avoided comment, saying it was the YSK's decision. Çelik urged the BDP officials not to ruin the country's stable atmosphere and remain cool-headed. Cemil Çiçek, deputy prime minister, said it was a legal decision and that the government had nothing to do with it.
CHP spokeswoman, Bihlun Tamaylıgil, said the decision was not true in legal or political sense and that new arrangements should be made. She also called for the AKP to take responsibility for the decision.
Tamaylıgil also recalled that two CHP deputies, Mustafa Balbay and Mehmet Haberal, were also in prison and were expecting their releases. "They have been elected with the votes of the people. Now they should be allowed to take their oaths to represent their voters at Parliament."
Turkish Foreign Minister: Country Ready to Support Palestinian Reconciliation
Turkey's Foreign Minister has said the country is ready to make any contribution to make sure reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah lasts.
"We attach great importance to reconciliation between Palestinians. Turkey will do anything in its power for this reconciliation," Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters on Wednesday.
Davutoglu said Turkey had been actively involved in securing an agreement between rival Palestinian factions, adding that he participated in a May Cairo ceremony that saw the sealing of that agreement.
Davutoglu said he met on Tuesday with Hamas leader, Khaled Mashal, in Istanbul, adding that he was also set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Turkey on Thursday.
Armenian President Complains About 'Turkish Blockade'
Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Armenia's President Serge Sarkisian complained about a "Turkish blockade" and warned of a possible war with Azerbaijan.
Sarkisian claimed Armenia is under the blockade of Turkey and Azerbaijan, during his address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, while Azerbaijani parliamentarians said they were not able to ask their questions during the session Wednesday.
Regarding a parliamentarian's question on the threats of the Metzamar Nuclear Plant in Armenia, Sarkisian also said Armenia has no other choice but nuclear energy because of the "blockade" imposed by Turkey.
"This unlawful blockade of Armenia must come to an end. Europe cannot, and should not, tolerate new dividing lines," said Sarkisian.
World Bank Official: Turkey Will Emerge a Global Power
Turkey will become one of the global players with a power to influence other countries within the next 25 years, an official with the World Bank estimated.
"In 2025, Turkey will be one of the 15 global poles and it will assume a role to influence other countries," Mansoor Dailami, manager of the Emerging Global Trends Team of the Development Prospects Group at the World Bank, said Wednesday in a meeting in Ankara, on the release of a World Bank report, "Global Development Perspectives 2011."
Dailami said Turkey could also become one of the richest countries in the world within 20 years, with its relatively balanced development coupled with both a vibrant foreign and domestic demand.
"Turkey's economy bodes well for the future with a young population which needs sizable investment in education," Dailami said.
Turkey's Interior Minister Says Investiagtion Launched
Turkey's interior minister said on Wednesday that investigations have been launched into an attack on a police vehicle in eastern Turkey, killing two policemen.
Interior Minister Osman Gunes said terrorists should see that they could reach nowhere with such methods. "Operations have been launched," Gunes told reporters before flying to the eastern province of Tunceli.
Gunes said a remote-control bomb detonated when a police vehicle was passing by, killing two police officers on a village road near Tunceli's Nazimiye. Asked if the terrorist organization PKK staged the bomb attack, Gunes said, "The methods point to (the PKK), and we have taken counter-measures and launched an operation."
Syrian Troops Enter Village by Turkish Border
Syrian troops have entered the Harapcoz village by the Turkish border on Thursday.
The AA correspondent in the region said that Syrian troops could be seen from the Guvecci village in Turkey and that villagers made phone calls to inform authorities about Syrian military activities.
Syrian troops brought down a Turkish flag earlier hoisted by Syrian villagers at a watchtower, and instead hoisted the Syrian flag.
Turkey's Supreme Board of Election Announces Official Results
Turkey's Supreme Board of Election announced the official results of the June 12 ballot.
According to the official results, which were published in Thursday's Official Gazette, 43,914,948 people cast their votes in the election. 973,185 votes were accepted invalid. The voter turnout was 83.16 percent in the election.
Votes received by the political parties and their percentage are as follows:
Political Party Votes
Justice & Development Party 21,320,207 49.80
Democrat Party 278,775 0.65
Republican People's Party 11,122,420 25.98
Labor Party 31,766 0.07
Nation Party 60,673 0.14
Liberal Democrat Party 15,166 0.04
Felicity Party 541,470 1.26
Rights & Equality Party 124,082 0.29
People's Voice Party 329,358 0.77
Nationalist Movement Party 5,575,010 13.02
True Path Party 64,453 0.15
Turkish Communist Party 63,786 0.15
Nationalist Conservative Party 36,105 0.08
Grand Unity Party 322,819 0.75
Democratic Left Party 107,889 0.25
Independents 2,819,917 6.59
TOTAL 42,813,896 100
Officials results of the general elections in Turkey including votes cast at customs gates are as follows:
Number of registered voters 52,806,322
Number of voters who cast votes 43,914,948
Total number of valid votes 42,941,763
Total number of invalid votes 973,185
Voter turnout (percent) 83.16
Distribution of seats at the parliament is as follows:
Political parties number of deputies
Justice and Development Party 327
Republican People's Party 135
Nationalist Movement Party 53
Independents 35
Total 550
Under the parliamentary bylaws, the general assembly convenes at 3:00 p.m. on the fifth day after the publishing of the official results in the Official Gazette. Accordingly, the parliament will convene on June 28. New members of the parliament will take their oaths during the opening session.
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