Islamist Premier to Seek Early Vote

Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the first Islamist to lead modern Turkey, announced after months of pressure on his coalition from the secularist army that he will seek early elections. Pro-Western coalition partner Tansu Ciller, appearing with Erbakan, said she will lead a caretaker government from the end of this month until parliament can set a date for new polls. Erbakan’s Welfare Party, which won narrowly with 21% of the votes in 1995, has been under pressure by the army to stop trying to increase the role of Islam in public life. Erbakan predicted that the party and Ciller’s True Path Party will get a firmer mandate in a popular election.