ANKARA, April 28: Turkey faced a political crisis on Saturday as the Islamist-rooted government clashed with the army over the latter's threat of action to defend the country's secular regime.
The row erupted after parliament began voting on Friday on a new president in a process where the sole candidate is a former Islamist fielded by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The prospect of the candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, becoming head of state alarmed secularists about Islam creeping into all fields of life and prompted the opposition to boycott the vote, robbing the government of the required two-thirds majority.
The staunchly secularist Turkish army then issued a harsh warning against questioning the country's secular system and said it would “openly display its position and attitudes when it becomes necessary.” The government sharply called the army to order Saturday and the European Union urged it not to interfere in the candidate country's democratic process while opposition parties called for early elections to resolve the crisis.
“I would like to underline that it is inconceivable in a democratic state based on the rule of law for the general staff, which remains under the orders of the prime minister, to speak out against the government,” government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told a news conference.
“The primary duty in protecting the basic tenets of the state falls on the government,” he said.
Secularists remain unconvinced by AKP arguments that it has disawoved its Islamist past and fear the government will have a free hand to implement an Islamist agenda if the party controls the presidency.
They cite its unsuccessful attempts to criminalise adultery, restrict alcohol sales and lift a ban on Islamic headscarves in government offices and universities as evidence that the party has not changed.
Dozens of non-governmental organisations have called for a rally in Istanbul on Sunday to show their support for the secular system, similar to one in Ankara two weeks ago that attracted up to 1.5 million people, according to some estimates.
The main opposition Republican People's Party has asked the Constitutional Court to cancel the vote, arguing that parliament did not have necessary quorum.
If the court annuls the vote, general elections, set for November 4, could be brought forward. If not, Gul could be president in a third round vote on May 9, when he needs just an absolute majority.
“It should not be forgotten that the Turkish armed forces are a party to this debate and staunch defenders of secularism,” the general staff's statement said.
“The Turkish armed forces ... will openly and clearly display their position and attitude when necessary. No one should doubt this.” The Turkish army, which sees itself as the guardian of the secular system, seized power in 1960, 1971 and 1980 and forced the resignation in 1997 of the country's first Islamist prime minister, Necmettin Erbakan.
In his first reaction to the army statement, Erdogan said that the nation would oppose actions that would hurt political stability.
“This nation has paid a heavy, painful price when the base of stability and confidence has been lost. But it no longer allows, nor will it allow, opportunists who are waiting and paving the way for a disaster,” he said.
In Brussels, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn called on the army to stay away from politics, saying it was a test case of whether the army “respect democratic secularism and the democratic arrangement of civil-military relations.” The leaders of the two minor opposition parties -- the Motherland Party and the True Path Party -- called on the government to cancel the presidential elections and call early general elections.
“The only way out of this crisis is general elections,” Motherland chairman Erkan Mumcu told a press conference here.—AFP
