Turks step up pro-secular protest

[frigidmagi]

BBC

Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets again to show their support for Turkey's secular system.

The protest in the western town of Manisa comes a day before a key vote in parliament on the presidency.

The ruling AK party, whose roots are in political Islam, will again try to have its candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, elected.

A court ruled out an earlier vote after an opposition boycott meant there was no valid quorum in parliament.

Early election

The protest is the third this month to be organised by supporters of Turkey's secular constitution.

Another rally was held on Saturday in the town of Canakkale.

Earlier protests in Ankara and Istanbul drew more than a million.


KEY DATES
2 May: Ruling party requests early elections
6 May: Suggested first re-run of parliamentary election for president
16 May: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's term ends
22 July: Likely date for early general election (currently set for November)

Q&A: Turkey's crisis
Tough test for democracy

An early election aimed at ending the crisis will be held on 22 July.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said the constitutional court ruling was like "firing a bullet at democracy".

Mr Erdogan reacted with a series of electoral reform proposals.

He said he wanted the president to serve up to two five-year terms, instead of one seven-year term, and for parliament's term to last four years instead of five.

Mr Erdogan also said he wanted the president elected by the people not parliament.

On Saturday, Mr Gul said he would win easily if that were the case.

"Support for me is 70% [among the public]," he said.

The opposition accuses Mr Gul of having a hidden Islamist agenda and says that if he becomes president it will threaten Turkey's secular tradition. He and the prime minister deny the accusations.

Cat told me a Turkish joke made by Turkey's liberals "Better the army sets us back 10 years then the Islamist set us back 50."