Turks Cast Ballots for New Parliament

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 6:19 a.m. ET

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turks voted for a new Parliament on Sunday in a contest viewed as pivotal in determining the balance between Islam and secularism in this nation of more than 70 million.

Many people cut short vacations to head home to cast their ballots, and lines at some polling stations were long as people voted early to avoid the summer midday heat. In Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, traffic jammed some main roads and police officers stood guard outside the gates of schools serving as polling stations.

''My biggest concern is security. I voted for a party which, I believe, will end terrorism and provide security for our citizens,'' said Remzi Ekinci, a civil servant. He declined to identify his choice because he works for the government.

The new Parliament will face a host of challenges, including a presidential election, violence by Kurdish rebels and a growing divide over the role of Islam in society.

The election was called early to defuse a political crisis over the Islamic-oriented ruling party's choice of presidential candidate, and the three-month campaign was peaceful. Turkey has made big strides after the economic and political chaos of past decades, but some feared the vote could deepen divisions in the mostly Muslim nation.

Fourteen parties and 700 independent candidates were competing for a total of 42.5 million eligible voters. Campaigning was prohibited on Sunday.

Parties must win at least 10 percent of the votes in order to have representation in Parliament, a high threshold that has drawn some criticism as being undemocratic.

The country has an emboldened class of devout Muslims, led by a ruling party with a willingness to pursue Western-style reforms in order to strengthen the economy and join the European Union. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has presided over strong economic results, including reduced inflation, more foreign investment and average annual growth of 7 percent.

''Things are going well, there's stability in the economy,'' said Kadem Diner, a catering company owner. ''I think it would be insane to ruin stability by voting for someone else.''

The success of the ruling Justice and Development Party has often been touted as proof that Islam and democracy can coexist, although its detractors accuse Erdogan and his allies of plotting to scrap Turkey's secular traditions despite their openness to the West.

Many of these government opponents constitute a traditional elite and have roots in state institutions such as the courts and the military, guardians of the secular legacy of national founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

They argue that personal freedoms -- such as the right to drink alcohol or a woman's choice of clothing -- are in peril, but they have more of an authoritarian background and less of a reformist record than the government.

Voter surveys suggest the ruling party will retain a majority in the 550-member Parliament, although its winning margin is likely to be smaller than when it came to power in 2002 elections.

The Republican People's Party is expected to remain the main opposition group, railing against a government it says is intent on imposing religion on politics. The hardline Nationalist Action Party, which seems to share some policies with both the ruling party and the opposition, also appears poised to enter Parliament.

''I want our government to protect secularism,'' said banker Burcin Atalay, who voted for the Republican People's Party.

One of the first jobs of the new Parliament will be to elect a president. The post is largely ceremonial, but the incumbent has the power to veto legislative bills and government appointments.

In May, Erdogan's ally, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, abandoned his presidential bid after fierce opposition from the secular establishment. Opponents said Gul's election would remove the last obstacle to an Islamic takeover of the government, and the military -- instigator of coups in the past -- threatened to intervene to safeguard secularism.

Another task for the new government will be to decide whether Turkey, a NATO member, should stage an offensive into northern Iraq to thwart rebels of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who have bases there. The United States, beset by problems elsewhere in Iraq, opposes such a move, but Turkey is frustrated by escalating rebel violence, and says Washington has reneged on promises to help it fight terrorism.

Erdogan has said Turkey could stage an incursion into Iraq if talks on the security situation fail. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has received an invitation from Erdogan to visit Turkey, but no date has been set, the Iraqi government said.

In predominantly Kurdish areas in southeast Turkey, security forces patrolled near some polling stations to prevent possible attacks by Kurdish rebels seeking to disrupt the elections. There were no reports of violence.

Voters in two southeastern villages with a total of 2,200 eligible voters boycotted the election, citing local grievances. In Sinan village, voters said their landlord had confiscated their lands and lawmakers had not resolved the situation despite their appeals. In Uzungecit, people said they would not vote because the road to their village had not been repaired in decades.

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Associated Press reporter C. Onur Ant contributed to this report.