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Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan faces one of the toughest decisions of his career this week - to seek the presidency or remain prime minister and ensure his party of victory in a parliamentary election in November.
A rally by 300,000 protesters against an Erdogan presidency on Saturday highlighted the divisions in this secular but predominantly Muslim country over whether a man with an Islamist past should become head of state.
Turkey has come far in the decade since the army, cheered on by the secularists, last ousted an elected government deemed too Islamist. Under Erdogan's rule, it has seen booming economic growth and the 2005 launch of European Union entry talks.
But Turkey's powerful secular elite, which includes army generals and judges, is again growing uneasy and fearful Erdogan as president would try to undermine the republic's separation of state and religion.
"The threats over the past week highlight the desperation of hard-line secularists," said Semih Idiz, a columnist at liberal Milliyet newspaper.
"It's a last attempt to stop Erdogan, but even if he doesn't run, the AK Party will pick their own candidate and that will be a victory for democracy and a loss for the status quo," he said.
In becoming president Erdogan, a man of the people who comes from a humble background, would challenge the political system for the first time since the founding of modern Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who based Turkey on a secular government.
With parliament's backing, he would be able to amend the constitution, replace the secular elite that holds many top administrative jobs, and be armed forces commander-in-chief.
The ruling AK Party executive - firmly under the control of Erdogan - will meet on April 18 to pick a candidate, two days after parliament opens registration for the presidential poll.

Copyright Reuters, 2007

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