Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that he would have...

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that he would have to step down if resignations continue and the government loses the absolute majority in the parliament to win vote of confidence. In a live broadcast on NTV channel, Ecevit said:"I hope that State Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli would give up his project of early elections. I know that he did not give up this project easily. However, if we, as three coalition partners, can develop formulas about the European Union (EU), then Mr. Bahceli can accept that there is no need for holding early elections. "The issue of death penalty was the most sensitive issue. The MHP displayed a great understanding. Upon my request, he said that the MHP would not turn the issue of death penalty into a coalition problem. As a result, the problem was solved in one sense. All political parties except for the MHP said that death penalty should be abolished. There was not any reason for us not to reach a compromise.