Turkish bosses'

Scan page 2

The seven year office of the present Turkish head of tion of a new President which could have important consequences for the Turkish working class.

Under the existing constitution, the President is elected by a majority of the National Assembly in a series of secret ballots.

In the last elections, in 1973, it took fifteen rounds of voting before Mr Koruturk emerged as the victor.

Even then, this was only because the two main parties, the Justice Party (JP) and the Republican Peoples Party (RPP) eventually managed to come to a mutual understanding.

This time round the scene looks set once again for a similar impasse: Neither the JP nor the RPP commands a clear majority of the 634 votes.

The JP can only rely on 311 at most and the RPP on 306. With a majority of 318 needed in the final round of balloting, the right wing, Islamic National Salvation Party, with 29 votes, could play an important role.

Things are complicated though by the fact that the NSP's programme calls for the President to be elected by universal suffrage and for constitutional reforms which would limit the President's power.

But the key question in these elections will be the role of the military. At present the army appears to be holding back from the situation, though some sources predict that an electoral crisis would certainly provoke an intervention by the military.

One favourite for the Presidency is General Kenan Evren; the Army Chief of Staff and the man who last December warned of possible army intervention if the civil powers failed to maintain "stability".

Five of the six Presidents so far have been from military origins.

Normally election has meant that they have given up their military positions and have returned to civilian life.

The possibility this time of the President remaining a member of the military cannot be ruled out.

----- pull-quotes -----

state, Mr Koruturk, ends on April 6, necessitating elec-