Turkish parliament to choose next head of state

Turkish politicians today began voting to choose a new president in an election that has been marked by tensions between the Islamic-rooted government and defenders of Turkey’s secular ideals.

The opposition planned to boycott the vote and threatened to question its validity in an appeal to the Constitutional Court.

If voting proceeds smoothly, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is expected to win a series of parliamentary polls because the ruling party holds more than 60 per cent of seats. He has promised to reach out to citizens worried that his almost certain victory will strengthen the role of Islam in politics.

“I am loyal to the republic, to secularism, to the principles of a democratic, social state ruled by law, as stated in the constitution in essence,” MR Gul said in an interview published in the Milliyet newspaper.

The comment echoed a recent statement by the head of the military, which considers itself the guardian of the secular principles in Turkey’s constitution.

Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said the president must be loyal to secularism “not just in words, but in essence”.

The military, however, has largely shunned the public debate in an indication that Turkish democracy is on a more secure footing than in coup-prone days of the past.

Although the post is largely ceremonial, the president can veto legislation, and the prospect of electing a leading member of the pro-Islamic government has unnerved Turkey’s secular establishment. Hundreds of thousands of people recently demonstrated for secular ideals in the capital of Ankara, and another large rally was planned in Istanbul on Sunday.

“I tried to understand them,” Mr Gul said of the demonstrators. “If they have concerns, doubts, my job is to remove those concerns. That will be my duty if I am elected president. I will strive to be the president of all citizens no matter their point of view.”

Current President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vigorously used his powers as a check on the government, vetoing a record number of legislative bills and appointments of officials deemed to be supporters of an Islamic agenda.

Mr Gul is a close ally of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the presidency would complete their lock on power ahead of general elections planned for November.