Majority of Turks against Erdogan as president-poll

ANKARA, Nov 23 (Reuters) A majority of Turks do not want Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to contest the presidency in next May's election, according to a poll published today.

Turkish secularists fear that Erdogan, who has roots in political Islam and whose wife wears the Muslim headscarf, would try to undermine the division between state and religion if he became head of state, a job traditionally held by secularists.

The poll, conducted by Kanal D television and published in several Turkish newspapers, showed 51 percent were opposed to Erdogan becoming president while 31.5 percent were in favour.

Of those opposed, nearly half said Erdogan was not secular and republican. Others said he lacked the right education and was not sufficiently conciliatory to lead the nation.

Erdogan, who comes from a poor family and received his early education in a vocational school that trains Muslim clerics, is a strong, charismatic politician but is seen by some Turks as partisan, aggressive and uncouth.

However, nearly two thirds of those canvassed said the fact that Emine Erdogan, his wife, wears a headscarf would not be a problem if the prime minister did become president.

Parliament, where Erdogan's centre-right AK Party has a large majority, selects the president.

Incumbent Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist and former judge, retires in May when his seven-year tenure expires.

Asked what might happen if Erdogan did succeed Sezer, about a third of respondents predicted more tension but said it would be overcome. But more than a quarter said the country would be ''dragged into chaos'' and 11 percent predicted a military coup.

Turkey's powerful army has intervened directly in politics four times in the past 50 years, most recently in 1997 when it ousted a government seen as too Islamist.

Erdogan and his AK Party, who have presided over strong economic growth and the launch of European Union accession talks, strongly deny claims that they have an Islamist agenda.

The Kanal D poll canvassed the views of 1,273 people in nine cities on November 18-19.

Reuters AB GC1553