Turkish Leaders Fail to Lift Limit on President’s Term

Turkey’s coalition government failed to win passage Wednesday for a constitutional reform to lift the single-term limit for the presidency and allow President Suleyman Demirel to seek reelection.

The loss in parliament came as a blow to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who believes Demirel is a stabilizing factor in Turkey and wants to avoid political bickering over the president’s successor.

Backers of the reform say Demirel has helped preserve a balance between the staunchly secular military and the Islamic main opposition Virtue Party.

But the coalition fell short of the 367 votes in the 550-member chamber needed to change the constitution. The amendment would reduce the president’s term from seven to five years but allow for a second five-year term. Demirel’s term ends in May.

Only 253 deputies voted in favor, and 236 deputies voted against. The remainder abstained, cast invalid votes or were absent.

The coalition has 352 seats in parliament, so the low approval meant that many coalition lawmakers did not back the amendment.

The amendment is to be debated and voted on a second time next week.

Hoping to garner opposition support, the government had proposed two other constitutional amendments. The first offers a lucrative pension plan to deputies, while the second would make it more difficult for courts to shut down political parties--an offer particularly attractive to the Virtue Party, which is battling a closure case.

The two other amendments also failed to be approved Wednesday and will be voted on again next week.

Ecevit also wants to prevent likely tensions over Demirel’s successor from straining his coalition government, which is being hailed as the most stable one Turkey has known in years.

Political turmoil may hamper the government’s ambitious inflation-fighting program backed by a $4-billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.

The annual inflation rate is hovering around 60%.

Turkey’s powerful military has kept silent, but analysts say it would prefer extension of Demirel’s term.

Islamic circles accuse Demirel of serving as the mouthpiece of the army.