Islamist again seeks Turkish presidency

Turkey's Islamic-oriented ruling party decided Monday to renominate the religious-leaning foreign minister for president, raising the possibility of another showdown with secular factions, including the military.

When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed Abdullah Gul as his party's candidate earlier this year, opposition groups accused Gul of wanting to scrap the secular traditions of this predominantly Muslim but officially secular nation.

Opposition lawmakers boycotted the previous presidential voting in parliament, leading Turkey's top court to annul the balloting for lack of the required quorum and causing early elections that were won by Erdogan's party last month.

Murat Mercan, a senior party official, confirmed Gul's renewed presidential candidacy after a party meeting Monday.

"Gul is a statesman who has great experience," Mercan told private CNN-Turk television. "I believe he would be very successful."

The candidacy signals that Erdogan's party apparently bowed to pressure from its grass-roots supporters to challenge secular circles.

Gul's earlier nomination alarmed the military-backed, secular establishment, which accused the government of seeking a lock on power so it could impose Islamic ways unchecked.

Although the presidency is largely ceremonial, the post has the power to veto legislative bills and government appointments.

The current president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, has often frustrated Erdogan's government by blocking its initiatives, such as vetoing a newly passed constitutional amendment in June that would have allowed the people _ rather than legislators _ to elect the president.

Erdogan's party won a majority of parliament seats in the July 22 election, but it did not secure the two-thirds needed to approve a presidential candidate on its own during the first two rounds of voting.

The president can be elected by a simple majority in the third round of voting, but only if two-thirds of parliament members participate. There has been no threat yet from opposition groups to again boycott the balloting.

Cihan Pacaci, a senior member of the Nationalist Action Party, reiterated that his party pledged support to reach a quorum to prevent a new political crisis. "I don't see a chaos ahead," Pacaci told private NTV television.

Still, a new fight could be looming from opposition groups that had urged Erdogan to nominate a compromise candidate.

"It is not appropriate to have a president who has problems with the founding philosophy of the Turkish Republic," said Deniz Baykal, leader of the main opposition party, the pro-secular Republican People's Party.

Onur Oymen, a senior member of the Republican People's Party, said Gul's candidacy is a serious threat to the secular principles of Turkey. "Gul's candidacy is not expected to contribute to peace and stability in the country," he told private NTV television.

Gul already asked for meetings with opposition leaders Tuesday to seek their support, private CNN-Turk television said. The first round of voting in parliament is due Aug. 20.

Sadullah Ergin, a member of the ruling party, rejected criticisms of the foreign minister. "Gul has the right to be president like anyone else," Ergin told CNN-Turk television.