Turkish nationalist party rocked by new resignations over video blackmail scandal

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Reuters

Six top members of Turkey's far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) resigned on Saturday over a video blackmail scandal, fuelling uncertainty about the outcome of the June 12 parliamentary election.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AK Party is widely expected to secure a third consecutive victory in the election, with opinion polls putting its level of support at around 45 percent.

But the second wave of resignations from the MHP could affect the parliamentary arithmetic -- it is not certain that the MHP will exceed the 10 percent threshold needed to retain their place in parliament.

Read more: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-244698-turkish-nationalist-party-rocked-by-new-resignations-over-video-blackmail-scandal.html

[iemitsu]

1. funny how being involved in extra-maritial affairs

rarely results in right-wing politician"s resignations here.

[pampango]

2. Wiki: Turkish Nationalist Movement Party

The Nationalist Movement Party (also translated as 'Nationalist Action Party') (Turkish: Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP), is a far-right political party in Turkey.

In the July 22, 2007 legislative elections, the party won 14.3% of the national vote with 71 seats in parliament. In the previous elections on November 3, 2002 the party gained no seats as it had won only 8.3% of the national vote.

The party embraced Turkish nationalism, imbued with a mythology that suggests all Turks share a common ancestry. Under the leadership of Alparslan Türkeş militias connected to the party were responsible for assassinating many left-leaning people during the 1970s.<5> The leader of the party's youth wing, the Grey Wolves, boasted that they had an intelligence organization superior to the state's.

The party later was refounded in 1983 as the Conservative Party (Turkish: Muhafazakar Parti). After in 1985, the name was changed to the Nationalist Task Party (Turkish: Milliyetçi Çalışma Partisi) and back again to its former name in 1992.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalist_Movement_Party