Erdogan Battles Political Firestorm ahead of Key Polls
A sweeping corruption investigation implicating some of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's closest allies is threatening to weaken his grip on power ahead of key elections next year.
At least 51 people including the sons of three ministers and several top business leaders were detained in a series of dawn raids on Tuesday, in the biggest investigation into official corruption since Erdogan took office in 2002.
The detentions have set off a political firestorm in Turkey and exposed bitter fault lines in Erdogan's traditional power base, particularly a festering row with a powerful Muslim cleric.
Erdogan has described the investigation as a "dirty operation" to smear his Islamic-leaning government ahead of the polls and undermine Turkey's ambitions to become a major political and economic power.
He also accused those behind the raids of acting like a "state within a state," a possible reference to the organization headed by influential Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has supporters in the police and the judiciary.
Emre Uslu, a columnist for the Zaman daily, said the affair had "tarnished the government's image in the eyes of the voters".
"From now on, no conservative will be able to defend this party by claiming that it has put an end to corruption," he wrote in Zaman, which is owned by Gulen.
Several dozen senior police officers have been sacked in the wake of the raids, including Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin, for "abusing their power".
Erdogan has warned that more sackings could follow.
Those detained in the raids in Istanbul and Ankara are suspected of numerous offenses including accepting and facilitating bribes for development projects and securing construction permits for protected areas in exchange for money, as well as gold smuggling and money laundering, according to press reports.
Nine people were released Wednesday, according to Turkish media, but the rest remain in custody.
The operation has exposed deep fractures in Erdogan's traditional support base, particularly a dispute between the government and Gulen.
The Gulen movement was a key supporter of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), helping it to win three elections in a row since 2002.
But government plans unveiled last month to close down a network of private schools run by Gulen's Hizmet (Service) movement appear to have shattered the alliance.
The timing of the scandal could not be worse for Erdogan, coming just days after he launched the AKP's campaign for municipal elections in March.
Those elections will be a key test for the Turkish strongman, who has set his sights on becoming president if a new constitution gives the post sweeping U.S.-style executive powers.
A presidential election is due to be held in August, followed by legislative elections in 2015.
Sedat Ergin, columnist for the Hurriyet daily, said the credibility of Erdogan's government was on the line after the mass protests in June against what critics say is his increasingly authoritarian rule and moves to impose conservative Islamic values on society.
"The government's stance on corruption does not inspire confidence because in the past, it tended to cover up investigations that targeted itself," Ergin wrote.
Zaman's Uslu also said it was likely that the AKP would "lose votes in the coming elections".
Opposition parties have called on the government to resign and denounced the sacking of police chiefs as an effort to "shut down" the investigation.
Sources close to the government say Erdogan will respond to the scandal by carrying out a long-expected cabinet reshuffle that would allow him to remove those implicated from his government.
The suspects include the sons of Interior Minister Muammer Guler, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar along with the chief executive of state-owned Halkbank, Suleyman Aslan, and construction tycoon Ali Agaoglu.
Police on Wednesday seized $4.5 million in cash hidden in shoe boxes in Aslan's home, the private Dogan News Agency reported, citing judicial sources.
A lawyer for Gulen, who has lived in exile in the United States since 1999 to escape charges of plotting against the secular state, denied he was involved in the probe.
Although he will not be running in the elections, his organization wields considerable influence in several arms of Turkey's state apparatus including the police, secret services and the judiciary.
"The (Gulen) movement has made its presence felt, and has decided to protect its interests," said analyst Rusen Cakir.
Source: Agence France Presse
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