Thousands Stuck Between Sharia and Military

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered this weekend in Istanbul, in a second attempt to display support for the secular republic amid growing tension between the Islamist-rooted government and the army.

Organized by some 600 NGO's, the rally has been precedenced with a similar one in Ankara two weeks ago on April 14.

Since then the Justice and Development Party (AKP) majority government nominated the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and party second man Abdullah Gul for the presidency.

As he failed to be elected during the first round of elections in the parliament last Friday, the General Staff's threatening declaration released from its website caused great controversy in the country, seen as yet another intervention to an already wounded democracy.

The government replied with a mild reminder that the army is to function under the executive power and Gul defied calls to withdraw his candidature.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) dominates the 550-seat parliament, but does not have the required two-thirds majority of 367 to get Gul elected in the first two rounds of voting.

The opposition, which rejects Gul for his Islamist roots, boycotted Friday's vote.

Second round of the presidential elections is scheduled for Thursday while everybody wait for the Constitutional Court's decision on the procedural integrity of the elections.

The judges are expected to reveal their decision -either to annull or let away the election- tomorrow or the day after.

Thousands wave flags

"Turkey is secular and will remain secular," chanted the protestors who filled up Istanbul's sprawling Caglayan square yesterday.

"Neither Sharia, nor coup d'etat. Democratic Turkey," they shouted, carrying Turkish flags and portraits of the country's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Although the opposition parties try to cover the mass on Sunday's demonstrations, protestor's talking to our correspondent reveal that the two-hundred-thousand-fold crowd is far from homogeneous.

Some say that they fear from a possible turn to Sheria under AKP rule and see the army as a guarantee against such, others contemplate that a military intervention would set Turkey back once again as seen four times during the young republic's history.

The common stance of the crowd seems that there is no political body or party, which would find its expression.

Calls for early general elections

As the debate continues regarding the presidential elections, military intervention and "republican rallies", demands for an early general elections have been voiced by all opposition parties.

Normally, elections are scheduled for November this year. If the Constitutional Court cancels the presidential election on procedural basis and the deadlock stays, the parliament would be forced to proceed to elections.(EÜ)