ANKARA - Turkey's Constitutional Court is set to review Monday the legitimacy of a presidential vote that has led to a political crisis in the Muslim majority but secular country.
More than one million people rallied in Istanbul on Sunday to support secularism and voice their opposition to sole presidential candidate Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul whose Islamist background they fear.
Parliament held a first round of voting Friday, in which Gul, 56, narrowly missed becoming the next head of state. A second round is scheduled for Wednesday.
Within hours of Friday's vote, the army issued a statement saying it was ready to take action to preserve the country's secular identity. Gul's wife wears the Islamic headscarf, seen as a symbol of political Islam, and he was once a member of a party outlawed for Islamist activities.
The government sharply reminded the army that it takes orders from the prime minister and Gul said he would not withdraw from the race.
The Constitutional Court has been asked by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to annul the presidential election process on the grounds that not enough lawmakers were present to make Friday's vote legal.
Turkey's constitution does not mention the quorum -- the number of members legally required -- for a presidential vote.
The CHP is arguing that there should have been at least 367 of the 550 lawmakers in the assembly on Friday since that is the number set by the constitution to elect the president.
Due to the opposition boycott, the parliament only contained the 352 lawmakers that belong to Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The Constitutional Court rapporteur is expected to have finished his investigations and hand in his report later on Monday.
"We plan to make a decision on Tuesday, but the ruling could also come out Wednesday morning," Tulay Tugcu, President of the Constitutional Court, was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying.
If the court rules that Friday's vote was in order, the presidential elections will move ahead and Gul is all but certain to be elected in the third round of voting on May 9 when an absolute majority of 276 votes will suffice.
There is uncertainty as to what the next step will be if the court rules in favour of the CHP's demand.
Some constitutional law experts say parliament will have to hold the first round of voting again to try to get the necessary quorum.
If not, general elections set for November 4 will be brought forward as the constitution calls for new parliamentary elections if lawmakers are unable to elect a president.
The government has condemned the CHP's legal challenge as political manoeuvring and expressed concern that the army's warning will effect its decision.
The AKP sprung from a banned Islamist party but says it has disavowed those roots and is now committed to secular principles.
Many in Turkey suspect the AKP of harbouring a secret Islamic agenda, citing its unsuccessful attempts to criminalise adultery, restrict alcohol sales and lift a ban on Islamic headscarves in government offices.
04/30/2007 01:15 GMT