Turkish PM retains party leadership

Ecevit has a battle to restore his country's economy despite fighting off a party leadership challenger

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey's Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has easily retained the leadership of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) despite his country's recent financial turbulence.

Ecevit polled 963 votes, compared to 86 for challenger Sema Piskinsut, at a congress held in the capital Ankara on Sunday, the party was told by congress chairman Ramazan Gursoy.

"I will work day and night to be worthy of the trust you have placed in me," Ecevit said in a brief acceptance speech, Reuters news agency reported.

Ecevit, 75, has dominated the DSP since it was founded in 1985 and led it to a narrow victory in the 1999 elections.

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He will continue to lead the biggest party in a coalition government that last week said it had won $10 billion in International Monetary Fund and World Bank loans.

The loans are to help Turkey recover from an economic crisis Ecevit sparked by quarrelling publicly with his president in February, unsettling financial markets.

The government has resisted calls for Ecevit's resignation over its handling of the crisis.

It said Turkey needed a stable government to recover from the lack of market confidence which has seen 40 percent of the value of the lira currency slashed.

Ecevit pledged on Sunday to rescue Turkey from the financial debacle.

"Turkey is waging a war of liberation for its economy and this war will be fought to the end and will be won," Ecevit told the party congress.

"Turkey is under the burden of a heavy debt accumulated over years...It is sufficient for us to use our resources well and not give in.

"That is what this government is trying to do, to return us to health," he added.

In a speech outlining his achievements in government, Ecevit stressed victories such as the capture of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, the fight against corruption and gaining European Union candidature status for Turkey.

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