News Scan for Turkey – Jan 6th, 2016
CHP leader vows to strengthen parliamentary system
Despite delivering a message of hope for the New Year, Turkey’s main opposition leader has argued that the country’s governance is “bankrupt” and called for efforts that would strengthen the existing parliamentary system.
Calling the creation of a new constitution and laws “democratization project for Turkey” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu stated that Turkey must strengthen its 200-year-old parliamentary system through a libertarian constitution that emphasizes the separation of powers and rule of law, and the elimination of Sept. 12, 1980 coup laws. He also warned that “one person’s career calculation” was threatening to shape “this democratization project, in a veiled reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s zealous desire for a presidential system. (DHA)
Lira weakens below 2.98 vs. US dollar, stocks fall
After reaching 2.9883 early on Tuesday, the lira gained slightly to 2.9804 versus the US dollar. The Turkish lira weakened below the 2.98 mark against the US dollar, the lowest since mid-December 2015, while the main stock exchange extended losses to as much as 1.5 percent on Tuesday on political tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Along with the weakening lira, stubbornly high inflation remains among Turkey’s top concerns. Tax and price hikes on some goods and services this year will add up to 0.7 percentage points to inflation, the central bank said on Tuesday, a day after data showed Turkey overshot its 5 percent annual target for a fifth year in 2015.
Terror attacks biggest concern of CEOs in Turkey
Senior executives of leading Turkish companies have said terrorist attacks are set to be their biggest worry for the country’s economy in 2016, according to a new survey. Some 22.4 percent of 166 chief executives said the terror climate in Turkey’s eastern regions will hit the Turkish economy the most in the new year, according to a survey by the Turkish weekly Ekonomist magazine. According to 43.1 percent of CEOs, terror attacks and security concerns will top the agenda in 2016, which will be followed by debates over a new constitution and the presidential system.
Turkish companies’ foreign partners are most worried about the diplomatic crisis between Russia and Turkey, according to the business heads, with 38.2 percent of CEOs saying their foreign partners wondered whether the tension would end with Russia. (DHA)
Turkish carriers halt Russia flights temporarily due to visa trouble
Two Turkish airline companies have temporarily halted flights to Russia after experiencing problems in acquiring visas for their flight crews. Low-cost carrier Pegasus has stopped flights until Jan. 13 while Onur Airways has also halted flights to Nalchik until Jan. 14. Turkish Airlines, however, said it would continue its service to Russia because the company had previously acquired visas for crew members.(HURRIYET DAILY NEWS)
Turkey to regulate Friday work hours according to prayer time, prime minister says
The government has been working on a draft bill that will enable public employees to observe the Friday prayer without any interruption at work, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Tuesday. “We have prepared a bill that would prevent office hours from affecting our freedom of worship without creating a loss in working hours,”
First section of Istanbul-İzmir highway to open this month
The 40-kilometer section of the Istanbul-İzmir highway between the Gemlik and Altınova districts in the northwestern provinces of Bursa and Yalova will be inaugurated with a ceremony on Jan. 15.
The highway project currently stands out as the single-biggest investment in Turkey’s history with its TL 18 billion ($6 billion) budget, without expropriation costs. A total of 384 kilometers of highway and 49 kilometers of connection roads will be constructed as part of the project, which will decrease the journey between Istanbul (Turkey’s largest city) and Izmir (fourth-largest city to three hours from eight. (SABAH)
This is a news-scan from major Turkish papers and internet sites. However, we do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
06.01.2016
compiled by Editor BTT
