Turkish PM probed over court comments- CNN Turk

ANKARA, May 4 (Reuters) A Turkish prosecutor has decided to investigate Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for his comments criticising a Constitutional Court decision to cancel a contested presidential election, CNN Turk said today.

Turkey's highest court ruled on Tuesday that the first round of the presidential election was invalid due to a lack of quorum in the parliament. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a former Islamist and senior AK Party member, is the only candidate.

In a live televised speech to his party on Wednesday Erdogan labelled the court ruling ''a bullet fired at democracy''.

Erdogan later said his comments were not directed at the court but at Deniz Baykal, leader of the secular opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), who brought the presidential election case to the top court.

Erdogan has parliamentary immunity from criminal prosecution but the probe was an unwelcome distraction for him amid a political crisis over the presidential election, pressure from the armed forces and mass anti-government rallies.

Deputies are often the subject of probes but such cases are usually dropped.

The ruling AK Party, which has roots in political Islam, and the Ankara court were not immediately available for comment.

CNN Turk said an Ankara prosecutor had agreed to take up the probe against Erdogan, filed by lawyer Sedat Vural.

Baykal is also under investigation for his comments.

The Constitutional Court issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday criticising both Erdogan and Baykal, who also made statements about the court ahead of its ruling.

The court called the comments by Erdogan and Baykal ''irresponsible''.

Influencing the judiciary is a criminal offence in Turkey.

The Constitutional Court has been accused of being biased because most of its judges were appointed by outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist.

The court has rejected the accusations and said it was outside politics and made its rulings independently and impartially based on the law in accordance with the constitution.

Opposition parties boycotted the first round of the vote in parliament, preventing the required quorum and forcing the country towards early general elections on July 22.

Opponents fear that Gul as president and Erdogan as prime minister would push Turkey towards an Islamist agenda, something they both deny.

The AK Party remains Turkey's most popular party.

Reuters KK DB1907