Turkish PM set to pick new military chiefs

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met military officials on Monday to choose a new high command after several senior generals resigned last week.

Erdogan wants greater control over the once-powerful military, which has staged a series of coups d’etat since 1960.

The senior generals quit in protest after some of the military’s top brass were arrested and accused of plotting another government overthrow.

Atilla Sandikli, the head of the Bilgesam Strategic Research Centre, said the Turkish military will accept the democratic process and reform itself or be pushed into it by other means.

“If the army accepts this then it will certainly aid the democratic process in Turkey and improve the military’s image amongst Turks. People will start trusting the army a lot more.”

The generals are accused of plotting a bombing campaign to spark political mayhem and justify an ouster of the government.

Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party wants to rewrite the constitution and dilute the influence of the staunchly secular military.

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