DAR AL ISLAM - TURKEY: A ROAD BLOCK IN THE COMPLETION OF TURKEY'S ISLAMIZATION?!?

Turkish court blocks Islamist's bid for presidency
By Stephen Castle

Turkey's top court yesterday intervened in the country's biggest political crisis for years, striking down the result of a vote among MPs for the key post of president.

The decision increases the likelihood of fresh parliamentary elections and may help to avoid a confrontation between Turkey's Islamist government and the military, which sees itself as the guardian of the secular Turkish state.

Amid mounting tension that saw hundreds of May Day protesters detained by police, the Constitutional Court in Ankara ruled in favour yesterday of an opposition request to block the election by MPs of the Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul, who represents the ruling Islamist AK Party.

In a bid to resolve the stand-off, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that general elections could be held as early as 24 June. Mr Erdogan said: "The earliest possible date for elections is June 24 or July 1." He also called for a constitutional amendment to allow popular vote to elect the president. Parliament currently elects the president.

The court decided that not enough MPs were present when the first round was held last week. "What we have cancelled is the first round of voting," Hasim Kilic, deputy head of the court, said.

Turkey's secular establishment has reacted with alarm to the prospect of Mr Gul taking over the presidential palace once occupied by the founder of the secular Turkish state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. They fear that, if the AK Party secures control of the presidency, it will use its unprecedented power to chip away at Turkey's secular system. The party, which in recent years has sought unsuccessfully to criminalise adultery and restrict alcohol sales, denies the charge.

The army warned the government on 27 April to stick to Turkey's secular principles after Mr Erdogan nominated Mr Gul as his candidate for president. The declaration from the military high command provoked alarm abroad because the Turkish army has forced four governments from power since 1960. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest as the stand-off developed into a full-blown political crisis.

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