AKP's 2002 election brought real republicans to power, Turkish PM says

ISTANBUL

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Exploiters of the republic who despised the public were replaced with real republicans on Nov. 3, 2012, the date the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was elected, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a party meeting marking the 10-year anniversary today, daily Hürriyet has reported. 

"Those who patronized the public were removed, and people who serve the public came," the prime minister said. "Nov. 3 was a historic beginning."

"What happened on Nov. 3 was not the AKP's victory, but rather it was the precious nation's way  to seize power and politics and to stop the bad course," Erdoğan added. "Turkey made a very critical decision 10 years ago."

Hunger strikes will not free Öcalan from İmralı


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also said despite hunger strikes by prisoners for more than 50 days the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) convicted leader, Abdullah Öcalan  would not be released from İmralı island, where he is serving a life sentence.

"Just because you are doing so [staging a hunger strike], we will not take the terrorist leader [Öcalan] out there [İmralı] and send him home, there is no way," the prime minister said.

Erdoğan also stated that Öcalan could meet with his family and relatives as long as he wanted but the process is not the same as meeting with his lawyers.

Erdoğan also touched on public opinion polls, stating that everybody wants a return to capital punishment.