Erdogan wins Turkish election
Updated on 24 July 2007
Re-elected Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan faces a tough road ahead, not least because of his wife's choice to wear the headscarf.
After his Islamist-rooted AK Party won a landslide victory in the general election - dealing a blow to the country's secular old guard - he must now deal with issues ranging from Kurdish separatists to entry to the European Union.
The AK Party won almost 47 per cent of the vote, up by 12 points from the last poll in 2002. However, the new presence of a third party in parliament means its majority has fallen slightly.
Erdogan had been forced to hold an early election over his choice of Presidential candidate, the Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. Opposition groups feared the nomination was part of a government plot to scrap the country's secular traditions and introduce an Islamist state.
However, the Prime Minister has vowed to preserve the country's constitution, while also pushing ahead with a reform agenda. The pro-European leader will continue to pursue Turkey's goal of joining the EU.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has congratulated Erdogan on an "impressive" election triumph.
