Numerical guide to Turkish editors

Never use the numerical phrase '52 percent' in any of your texts, even if it is an economy story. Other problematic numbers in the Turkish language are 31 and 69. Avoid them altogether Dear editors in Turkey,  

Never use the numerical phrase "52 percent" in any of your texts, even if it is an economy story. Cancel every written document which has 52 in it. Burn them if they have the complete phrase "52 percent" written in them. This number and this percentage are dangerous in Turkey these days. 

Never, ever use 51.79 percent. Also, do not use 9.76 percent and 38.44 percent, together with their sum, which is 48.2 percent or 48 percent, when it is rounded off. This is because 48 percent may imply the percentage of votes the opposition candidates, one of them being Professor Ekmeleddin ?hsano?lu (Remember Ekmeleddin ?hsano?lu? We forgot his name again, didn't we? What a name he has. It's still difficult to remember. He's running for office as a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) candidate from Istanbul.

I was a bit disappointed that he is a candidate for the MHP, but I have the same respect and value for him, his character and wisdom. And I wonder what happened to the Republican People's Party (CHP) that they didn't nominate him. No slots left? Maybe they forgot and never thought of him. Probably the latter. It is also being whispered that he is being touted for the prime minister's seat in the event of a coalition. I wish. Anyway, end of parenthesis) and the other being Selahattin Demirta?.

Yes, the percentage of votes ?hsano?lu received in the presidential elections on Aug. 10, 2014, as Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's strongest opponent, together with those of the third candidate, Demirta?, was 48.2 percent. Mentioning this...