Calls for unity as Turkey awaits fate of 'Islamic' poll candidate

Turkey is in crisis because of a wife's headscarf. The prospect of the country's next president being married to someone who chooses to wear the veil has plunged the country into the most serious political and economic crisis for years, even prompting fears of a military coup.

Amid mounting tension, Turkey is awaiting a verdict from its most senior court on whether the Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul can take part in a second round of voting for the presidency scheduled for tomorrow. Though considered a moderate in the Islamic-rooted AK party, Mr Gul's nomination has provoked huge opposition because his wife wears a headscarf - one of the touchstone issues of Turkish politics.

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Mr Gul failed to win the necessary level of support from parliamentarians last Friday, when supporters of Turkish secularism boycotted the vote and challenged his candidature. Turkey's powerful military high command later came out publicly against Mr Gul's candidature, and hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets.

Last night, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made a televised speech in which he urged "unity, togetherness, solidarity". Without referring to the present crisis in his remarks, which were recorded on Saturday, he added: "We can overcome many problems, so long as we treat each other with love."

Mr Gul's wife, Hayrunisa, is a well-known figure and often accompanies her husband on overseas visits wearing her headscarf, a potent reminder of her husband's political roots. In fact, she once took Turkey to the European Court of Human Rights for denying her a diploma because she wore a headscarf, dropping the case only when Mr Gul took up his ministerial post.

Sinan Ulgn, the chairman of the Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies think-tank in Istanbul, said: "There is a real fear among some parts of the Turkish population that the AK party's agenda is to move Turkey towards a more conservative, Islamic, society and the headscarf is one of the most visible and symbolic elements of the agenda. Abdullah Gul himself is somebody who, if we had not had the problems of the headscarf, would have been welcomed by most of the establishment."

The ferocity of the army's reaction to Mr Gul may be explained by the fact that the military high command had been led to believe that Mr Erdogan intended to nominate the Defence Minister, Vecdi Gönül, for the presidency. Mr Gönül is in regular contact with the military because of his position, and his wife does not wear a headscarf.

But it emerged that the Speaker of the Parliament, Bülent Arinç, threatened to stand himself if neither Mr Gul or Mr Erdogan were nominated for the position to represent the more religious wing of the AK party.

Today, the Turkish establishment will be watching to see whether the country's constitutional court concludes that Mr Gul's candidature should be annulled. If it does so, Turkey will almost certainly hold new elections in which the AK party is likely to prosper. But if Mr Gul is allowed to take part in a second round of voting, scheduled for tomorrow, the country's governing party could be on a collision course with the military.

Turkey's powerful military has intervened four times since 1960. In 1997, it helped push out a government it deemed an Islamist threat. Mr Gul was a member of that government.

Yesterday, the Turkish stock market dropped as the financial fallout from the political crisis continued. The Turkish Industrialists and Business Association called for fresh elections to clear the air. It said in a statement: "The foundation of the Turkish Republic is the inseparable unity of secularism and democracy. It is unthinkable for us to compromise on one in favour of the other. By reducing the political tension and by going to the Turkish people for elections, Turkey will come out healthier from these tense days."

Crisis timeline

* TUESDAY

After a number of pro-secular demonstrations, Turkey's Islamist prime minister Tayyip Erdogan declares that he will not run for president and nominates his Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul, instead

* FRIDAY

Turkey's military threatens to intervene in the presidential election and urges the government to curb militant Islamic influences. Opposition lawmakers boycott the first round of parliamentary voting and ask a constitutional court to postpone the elections

* SUNDAY

At least 700,000 pro-secular demonstrators take to the streets of Istanbul to protest against the ruling AK Party

* YESTERDAY

Turkey's constitutional court began considering an opposition request to suspend the presidential election. If the court throws out the opposition's request, a final round of voting will be held on 9 May.