January 30, 2007 - 17:22 AMT
Erdoğan: Dink's murder could be linked to upcoming presidential election
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said his government would deal with the Hrant Dink murder case effectively and that the investigation into the case would continue at full speed. Two top officials in Trabzon, where Dink's suspected murderer Ogun Samast comes from, were removed from the office last week and Erdoğan implied that more officials could be removed from their posts in other provinces. Asked if the Dink murder could be linked to the upcoming presidential election, Erdoğan said, "That's possible," Today's Zaman reports. The premier also noticed that changes in election time are possible. Asked whether parliamentary elections, scheduled for November, could be held at an earlier date, Erdoğan said changes in the date were possible. "What we want is to have a democratic, undisputed election and get the results as soon as possible," he said.