Turkish government survives no-confidence vote

14/05/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- Parliament rejected a no-confidence motion against the government Tuesday (May 13th) stemming from a May Day rally in Istanbul earlier this month. The opposition Republican People's Party proposed the motion last week, accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of encouraging police to use force against demonstrators. The motion failed by a wide margin, as the AKP holds 340 of the 550 seats in parliament. (Zaman - 14/05/08; Times of India - 13/05/08)