OUR FORMER PRESIDENT SULEYMAN DEMIREL WINS THE 2006 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD   The Picture above: Dr. Akkan Suver is granting the Award to Our Former President Suleyman Demirel 2006 Award of Social Responsibility Presented to the 9th President of the Republic of Turkey Suleyman Demirel The Selective Committee, formed by Dr. Akkan Suver, Husamettin Kavi, (R) General Ilhan Kilic, (R) General Necdet Timur, (R) Ambassador Ertugrul Kumcuoglu, Prof. Dr. Sedefhan Oguz and Basaran Ulusoy, announced Our Former President Suleyman Demirel as the winner of 2006 Social Responsibility Award of the Marmara Group Foundation. His award was presented in a ceremony organized in Kandilli Adile Sultan Palace on 19th December 2006. The 2005 Award had been granted to Sahap Kocatopcu.   The picture above: The 9th President of Turkey, Mr. Suleyman Demirel, delivers a speech after his reception of the Award. After receiving his award, Demirel commented on the presidential and general elections that will take place in April and November 2007, respectively. Demirel said “if I say there is no anxiety in Turkey, this will not be a correct statement.” Demirel continued as follows: “The presidential election should rest with the Turkish public. What is wrong with the election of the president by the National Assembly? If the current assembly selects him, who will be the next president is evident. But according to the 66th article of the relevant law, the election has to show political stability and justice. The current composition of the Assembly is representing only the forty percent of the Turkish people. What is going to happen? The president will be the nominee who receives the twenty-six percent of the votes. Later on, three fourth of the people will say ’this is not my president.’ However, a president should represent everyone and everyone should see him as the representative.” “For me, if the president is a contentious person, this will have no use for the country.” added Mr. Demirel. “The injustice in the general elections regarding the representation of the overall Turkey should be corrected. If there is a ten percent threshold in the elections, the election will be unjust again” he concluded.