Opposition Leader Says Court Decision On Presidential Vote Won't Be Influenced Politically

ANKARA - Deniz Baykal, chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said Monday that a pending decision by the Constitutional Court over a first round of presidential vote would not be influenced politically.
"Constitutional Court's task is to execute the constitutional law towards delivering a ruling which would prevent Turkey from drifting into a crisis," Baykal told a press conference.
Baykal also denied claims that he had met President Ahmet Necdet Sezer or any other high level state official over presidential election.
Meanwhile, three independent lawmakers from the Turkish parliament called for early elections amid a growing row between the government on the one side, and business leaders, the powerful military and pro-secular masses on the other over a vote to elect the country's next president.
MPs Hakki Akalin, Ersoy Bulut,and Mustafa Sayar accused the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government for "failing to remain insensitive" in protecting country's political regime, adding that it had also ignored numerous warnings by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit.
In a rare move, the Chief of General Staff posted a late-night statement on its web-site on Friday, warning that "it would display its attitude and take action openly and clearly," to defend secularism.
"The government should declare immediate early elections and the presidential vote should be postponed," said Akalin, Bulut and Sayar, who also boycotted the first round of the presidential vote last Friday along with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and two small center-right parties, the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) and the True Path Party (DYP).
AKP's presidential nominee Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul received 357 votes on Friday's vote, ten short of a requirement to be elected to the top post.
CHP appealed to the Constitutional Court to cancel the vote on the grounds that the General Assembly failed to secure a quorum of 367 lawmakers to start the voting process.
Court is evaluating the appeal with the decision expected for Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
Turkey's main shares index plunged 8 percent early on Monday, reacting sharply to the election debate after Gul said he would not withdraw.
Financial analysts said that markets would recover if the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of cancelling the presidential vote, reducing fears of uncertainty and giving way for legitimate ground for early elections.