Turkey's CHP submits another no-confidence motion against government

15/05/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- The main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) submitted another no-confidence motion against the government Wednesday (May 14th). It came only a day after parliament rejected a motion alleging the government encouraged police to assault demonstrators during a May Day rally in Istanbul. This time, the motion alleges Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan abused his office by intervening "before and after the tender for the sale of the ATV television channel and the Sabah newspaper, through which he secured advantages for one of the buyers [the Calik group]".

In other news, an explosion killed two and injured five early Thursday about 40km northeast of Ankara province. The blast occurred at a dairy factory in an industrial complex in Cubuk. Investigators say a boiler may have been involved. (Sabah, NTV, AP, NTV, Anadolu news agency, Hurriyet, Zaman - 15/05/08; Hurriyet, NTV - 14/05/08