Sunday, 3 November, 2002, 22:46 GMT

Supporters of Turkey's Islamist-based Justice and Development Party (AK) have been dancing in the streets as their party looks set for a landslide victory in the country's national election.

Turkey's outgoing Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has conceded defeat, after early results showed none of the three ruling coalition parties managed to win the 10% share of the vote needed to get into parliament.

With over 60% of the ballots counted, the recently-founded AK party has more than 34% of the vote.

The latest projections of seats in the new parliament give AK a massive majority - just a few seats short of the two thirds needed to change the constitution.

Mr Ecevit - whose Democratic Left Party is reported to have obtained only 1% of the vote - expressed fears that the AK party could pose a threat to Turkey's secular regime.

"I hope this party respects the secular and democratic regime," he said.

Political stability

AK's nearest rival, the staunchly secular Republican People's Party - Turkey's oldest party - has 19% of the vote.

The leader of Turkey's Nationalist Action Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, has announced his intention to stand down following the elections after his party failed to perform as expected.

Many Turks blame the government for the economic crisis of the past two years.

Analysts say popular disillusionment with policies of the well-established parties, their bickering and even corruption, appears to be turning voters away from them in droves.

Elections were called 18 months early after the coalition government collapsed due to bitter in-fighting and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's long illness.

Pressure

AK, which says it has severed links with Islamic militancy, is facing pressure to maintain Turkey's pro-Western policies, including entry into the European Union.

Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his party will adhere to the secular principles laid down in the Turkish constitution.

"[AK] is determined to accelerate Turkey's EU membership process and to implement an economic programme to speed up Turkey's integration with the world," Mr Erdogan said as the results were coming in.

However BBC correspondents say it will also have to placate its members, many of whom wish for the party to maintain its Islamic roots, with some detractors not believing its claims that it has now distanced itself from its background.

Erdogan's legal woes

Deputy party head Abdullah Gul said that, based on the numbers coming in, they would most likely form a government on their own.

But analysts say the party has first to overcome the legal obstacles in its way.

The state prosecutor tried to ban Mr Erdogan from campaigning as party leader because an earlier conviction for inciting religious hatred meant that he should have stepped down from his party posts.

However Mr Erdogan refused to name another party leader and spearheaded AK's campaign, despite the fact that he may not be able to become prime minister.

The case will be heard by the Constitutional Court in two weeks time.

-- Anonymous, November 03, 2002