July 22, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11,1423

ANKARA, July 21: Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, trying to fend off early elections, said on Sunday that a popular Islamic party which is ahead in opinion polls poses a grave threat to the secular nation.

Ecevit, who has been gamely trying to hold on in office after his coalition majority in parliament collapsed last week, warned their success could further destabilise a country already mired in political and economic chaos.

“The Turkish system may face very serious problems,” he told TRT television, referring to overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey’s officially secular status — which is backed up by the powerful military.

MPs are scheduled to vote Monday on whether to go ahead with early elections in November which Ecevit was forced to call after a wave of defections wiped out his coalition government’s edge in parliament.

The ailing 77-year-old has gradually lost the confidence of his coalition partners since May, when he began absenting himself from official duties because of ill health.

At the same time, his far-right partners blocked democratic reforms needed for Turkey to go ahead with its bid to join the European Union.—AFP