Turkey's PM calls for vote in Egypt soon as possible

Mavi Boncuk |

Turkey's PM calls for vote in Egypt soon as possible
Sat Feb 12, 2011
(Releads with Prime Minister Erdogan's comments)

ISTANBUL Feb 12 (Reuters) - Turkey called for elections to be held in Egypt in the wake of President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, so that the military can hand over power to a democratically elected government as soon as possible.

"Free and fair elections should be held as soon as possible, with no toleration of chaos, instability or provocations, and constitutional democracy should be secured," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

"The will of the Egyptian people should be reflected in the election results without any doubt cast on the legitimacy of the election," Erdogan was quoted as saying by state-run Anatolian news agency.

The comments made by Erdogan during a visit to Sakarya, an industrial province east of Istanbul, were the first made by the Turkish leader since Mubarak stepped down on Friday to bring an end to three decades of autocratic rule.

Erdogan's press office, however, issued a statement immediately after Mubarak quit expressing support for the Egyptian people's demands for democracy and freedom, and calling on the military to hand over power to a new government after holding an election.

Turkey is a member of the Western NATO alliance. Erdogan has gained considerable clout in the Middle East through his vehement condemnations of Israel after its offensive in the Gaza Strip in 2008, which heralded a breakdown in Turkey's friendship with the Jewish state.

Turkey, as a relatively stable state with a secular constitution, vibrant economy and conservative, pragmatic government led by former Islamists, is often cited as a model Muslim democracy in the region. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking in the Georgian city of Batumi at the start of an official visit on Friday, said Mubarak's resignation was an historic development for the Arab world and the region.

He said the onus now lay with the military to ensure stability and review the election law to allow active participation by political parties.

"Firstly, continuity of the state and public order should be secured. Secondly, people's demands should be met and a stable and lasting democracy should be built in Egypt through evolution. Thirdly, a transparent road map that the people can follow closely together with the international community should be announced," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolian. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)