Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here Tuesday that he would urge the parliament to approve an early general election, on either June 24 or July 1.

"We will apply to the parliament on Wednesday morning to predate the general election," Erdogan told a news conference after the country's constitutional court annulled last Friday's results for the first round of voting in the parliamentary presidential election.

In the ballot, the only candidate, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, nominated by the ruling AKP party, received 357 votes, 10 votes short of the 367 majority required in the 550-seat parliament.

A total of 361 MPs cast their votes in the chamber. The opposition parties boycotted the voting.

Hasim Kilic, deputy chief judge of the Constitutional Court announced earlier Tuesday that the court had cancelled the first round of voting because the requirement of a quorum of 367 had not been reached. He added that it meant the second round could not be held and the first round had to be repeated.

In response to the court's ruling, Erdogan said, "From the very beginning, we have stressed that we are loyal to the constitutional and democratic processes, and we will respect the court's decision."

However, he said the presidential election rounds would continue as of Thursday, adding, "If the parliament fails to elect the new president, we will take the issue before the public, and we will pave the way for the election of the president by popular vote."

He went on to claim that the "parliamentary democratic system has been blocked," adding, "We will apply for people to remove that blockade and to put an end to domination of the minority over the majority."

Foreign Minister Gul also called for an immediate general election and an immediate constitutional amendment allowing people to elect the president.

A shadow has been cast on the process of the presidential elections, he said, adding that "what needs to be done in order to immediately disperse this shadow is to hold a general election at the earliest time and to immediately amend the constitution to allow people to elect the president."

The presidential elections have triggered a deep crisis in Turkey, with the country's secularists being wary of the AKP which enjoys strong support among Islamic voters.

The main opposition Republic People's Party (CHP) and other opposition parties criticized the ruling party's attempts to implement an Islamic agenda in the secular Muslim country.

Last week, the Turkish army, which has a tradition of supporting secularists, issued a harsh statement, warning the government not to deviate from the secular principles and that it would "openly display its position and attitudes when it becomes necessary."

On Sunday, nearly 700,000 people poured on to the streets of Istanbul, the country's largest city, to attend mass demonstrations organized by some 600 non-governmental organizations in the support of secularism and democracy.

A similar rally also drew more than 300,000 people in the Turkish capital of Ankara on April 14. The AKP dismissed the accusations from critics and said the government would maintain secular values and democracy.

Prime minister Erdogan on 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.

Referring to Erdogan's proposal to hold early elections, the CHP's leader Deniz Baykal said late Tuesday that the decision was reasonable.

However, he said, "The first round could be repeated. But continuation of the process after Thursday is impossible in terms of timetable."

"Actually, I do not recommend it. It could be possible in terms of the constitution. However, it is meaningless politically," Baykal added.

Source: Xinhua