Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan here Monday called on the whole nation to maintain stability and peace in the wake of disputes between his government and the opposition over the presidential elections.

Erdogan made the call in a televised address to the nation after the first round of the presidential elections on Friday, in which Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, failed to garner the required two-thirds majority of 367 votes.

The main opposition secularists Republican People's Party (CHP), which boycotted the vote for the election, filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court claiming that no quorum was established essential for the voting.

If the court upholds the CHP's appeal, a scheduled general election in November, will be called within 90 days. Otherwise, Gul will be elected as the new president in a third round of voting on May 9, when 276 votes will be sufficient.

Turkey was awaiting the ruling of the court to see whether the presidential election would go to a second round in parliament on Wednesday.

In the televised address, Erdogan stressed that "Turkey must preserve the climate of stability and peace."

While recalling Turkey's history in the past 84 years, the prime minister said that the country has succeeded in overcoming all challenges, urging the people to "approach each other with love" so that the country can "overcome all obstacles and challenges."

"We must be careful not to harm the climate of stability we have reached and we must consider it as a duty to reach the goals of our republic," Erdogan said.

Late Friday, the staunchly secularist Turkish army issued a statement, saying that it was watching with concern the debate over secular system in the presidential elections and would " openly display its position and attitudes when it becomes necessary."

The Turkish government on Saturday criticized the army's threat to defend the country's secularism by intervening in domestic politics.

On Sunday, Foreign Minister Gul told a news conference that he would not retreat from the elections.

Source: Xinhua