Judge Poised to Become President of Turkey

A top judge who is an outspoken advocate of democratic reforms stands to become Turkey’s next president after party leaders in parliament unanimously backed his candidacy Tuesday.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit won the unprecedented all-party support for Ahmet Necdet Sezer to succeed President Suleyman Demirel when Demirel steps down in May.

“Such a thing has never been seen before in our democracy,” Ecevit said, acknowledging how rare such cross-party harmony is on Turkey’s fractious political scene.

Ecevit hopes the rare consensus among the five party leaders will avoid government division that could jeopardize implementation of a three-year, $4-billion anti-inflation package backed by the International Monetary Fund.

With such heavyweight support behind him, the 59-year-old Sezer stands a good chance of winning outright in the first round of parliamentary elections, scheduled to begin Thursday. Parliament chooses the non-executive president over a maximum of four rounds of voting that must end before Demirel steps down May 16.

Sezer, the chief justice of the country’s top court and a strong advocate of the right to free expression, is a candidate likely to please Turkey’s Western allies.

Turkey aspires to join the European Union, but the 15-nation group has made it clear that the country must take steps to improve human rights. Hundreds of Turks have been imprisoned for their writings or speeches.

“Sezer’s election to the presidency would add great force to Turkey’s democratization,” wrote Sedat Ergin, a commentator for the daily Hurriyet.

Sezer caused a stir last year when he criticized Turkey’s constitution--a legacy of 1980-83 military rule--for restricting basic rights and freedoms.

Earlier Tuesday, he argued that under the current constitution, presidential powers can exceed the limits of democracy, and he suggested that they be curbed.

“The powers given to the president exceed the boundaries of parliamentary democracy,” Sezer said in a speech on the anniversary of the founding of the Constitutional Court, which he heads.

“In a democratic state, it is not acceptable for a president to share power with the parliament, which represents the nation’s will and makes important decisions,” Sezer said.