Gul withdraws candidacy to be president of Turkey

ANKARA, May 6 (Reuters) Former Islamist Abdullah Gul today withdrew his candidacy for Turkey's presidency after his party failed to gain a quorum in parliament to vote him into the post, in a move that could ease a crisis in the secular state.

''After this ... my candidacy is out of the question,'' Foreign Minister Gul told reporters after the roll-call in parliament. ''I don't feel resentment.'' Gul has not yet formally withdrawn but the next president is now expected to be elected only after an early general election on July 22.

Parliament elects presidents for a single seven-year term. Gul, leading architect of Turkey's EU membership bid, was the only candidate to become head of a state which has a strongly secular constitution but a predominantly Muslim population.

Turkey has seen a wave of big secularist protests demanding he withdraw his candidacy and alarm in the military at the prospect of a former Islamist as president and commander-in-chief.

The military establishment has issued a public reminder that it is the ultimate defender of the secular Turkish state. The army has removed four civilian governments in 50 years in a country which now hopes for European Union membership.

Gul's ruling AK Party, which has Islamist origins but denies any Islamist agenda now, failed to obtain the presence of the 367 members of parliament required for a vote to elect Gul president because most opposition parties boycotted the session.

A first-round vote was annulled last week by the Constitutional Court, which ruled that two-thirds of parliament had to be present for it to be valid.

The court's decision came in response to an appeal from the secular Republican People's Party, angry it had not been consulted over the ruling party's choice of candidate.

Fighting back, the government organised a vote rerun while also calling early general elections and pushing for a change to the constitution to allow the public rather than parliament to elect the president.

Parliament is now expected to call the presidential election process invalid.

MAJOR SETBACK Gul's withdrawal marks the AK Party's first major defeat since sweeping to power in 2002 amid a deep financial crisis. The party has a majority in parliament.

A divide has emerged between Turks who want to preserve the strict separation of state and mosque, and a growing class of more religiously-minded people who want a relaxation of curbs on religious symbols and expression.

To end the standoff Erdogan is appealing directly to the people in elections on July 22, brought forward from November 4.

He is also pushing for a radical constitutional amendment which would introduce direct popular elections for president for a five-year term for a maximum of two terms. Currently the president is elected by parliament for a single seven-year term.

If parliament approves the amendment the next president could be elected by popular vote later this year. Direct voting would give the president greater authority.

The AK Party is expected to win the next general election, according to opinion polls.

The party has promoted liberal economic reforms designed to take the country into the EU, wooed foreign investors, overseen strong economic growth and improved Turkey's poor human rights record.

REUTERS KK PM1658