ANKARA, July 22 (RIA Novosti) - Turkey is voting Sunday in a parliamentary election seen as a crucial test to its secular democracy.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the early election to resolve a political crisis in the country after the secular elite stopped him from appointing his ally, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, as president, saying this move would lead to an Islamic takeover of the government.
A total of fourteen parties and 700 independent candidates are running for parliament. Voting surveys suggest that the ruling pro-business Justice and Development Party led by Erdogan will retain a majority of seats in parliament. However, vote gains by nationalist and secularist opposition parties could reduce this majority.
Parties must gain at least 10% of the votes to be elected to parliament.
