So today the newly elected Turkish Parliament will officially convene for the oath-taking ceremony. But it would be a maimed parliament. The opposition Labor, Democracy and Freedom Block has indeed announced days ago that it would boycott both the ceremony and the parliament. One of its deputy, Hatip Dicle has been strip of his legally won mandate by the Supreme Election Board, while a total of six deputies (included Dicle) have been denied freedom by various courts.

In such a condition, clearly, the Block could only boycott parliament, as democracy has been hit by both the Election Board and Courts decision.

The call to the opposition party, the CHP (Republican People's Party) by some Block's deputies have been answered with mix responses. The CHP also has two deputies in jail denied of their freedom. But clearly other balance games are at stake as far as the CHP is concerned. This was clear yesterday when Ýsa Gök, a deputy from Mersin, said on Monday that CHP leader Kemal Kýlýçdaroðlu would make the announcement at 2:30 p.m. today, just half an hour before Parliament starts the oath-taking ceremony. The party will also convene all its deputies in Parliament at 1:30 p.m.

The reason for the CHP to wait until the last minute for a formal announcement is to put pressure on the Ýstanbul court to reverse an earlier decision not to release Ergenekon suspects who were elected from the CHP list, political analysts in Ankara said.

“This is not the right approach,” said AK Party parliamentary group deputy chairman Suat Kýlýç. Both the Prime Minister and the President had been saying that the place to solve any problems is parliament.

In a written statement MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli also noted that the party would instruct deputies to join in the oath-taking ceremony out of respect for the national will and reputation of the Turkish Parliament.

So today it would be a mimed parliament. For a mimed democracy.