Erdogan hails 'revolution' in Turkish politics

TURKEY: Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday hailed his AKP government's 10 years in power as a "revolution" in Turkish politics, ending a legacy of military coups and exalting the will of the people.

"Not only a new party came to power... but a revolution in mentality took place," Erdogan told his party's rank and file at an annual camp in Kizilcahamam near Ankara.

Erdogan, whose Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) first won election on November 3, 2002 on a wave of popular support after years of unstable coalition governments, said his party introduced a new understanding of politics.

He declared that the AKP believed in advanced democracy, rights and freedoms, and not the "pro-coup" and "elitist mentality" which had dominated Turkish politics for decades.

"Genuine republicans who embraced the nation" came to power a decade ago, he said in a speech often interrupted by applause.

Erdogan hailed November 3 as marking a "milestone" and a "new beginning" not only for his AKP but for the entire country.

After coming to power in 2002, Erdogan has sought to tackle head-on Turkey's powerful military, the self-appointed guardians of the secular state which carried out four coups over half a century and had threatened the AKP with a political ban.

"Neither the state nor the republic needs a guardian," said Erdogan. "Nor does the nation need a nanny. This glorious nation has the will and strength to protect its own republic and state." Erdogan's AKP government has trimmed the powers of the once-mighty generals through an extensive legal process which has seen more than 300 army officers put behind bars for alleged coup plots.

AFP