Turkey's ruling party favours early elections

Turkey's Islamic-rooted ruling party today appealed to parliament to declare early general elections, opening the way for an easing of tensions with the secular establishment.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the decision in response to secularists' fears that his administration, by proposing a candidate for president with a background in the Islamic political movement, was moving the country toward Islamic rule that would undermine their Western way of life.