MIDDLE EAST TIMES: ANKARA -- Eager to prove it has broken off with its Islamist roots, Turkey's ruling party has fielded prominent candidates with no known links to political Islam for general elections Sunday, but convincing secularists remains a tough task.
Well-known politicians from the center-left and -right, women known for their liberal views, business people, and economists are among fresh troops the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a confident front-runner in opinion polls, enrolled before the election.
Standing out among them is Ertugrul Gunay, a social-democrat ideolog and former secretary-general of the staunchly secular Republican People's Party (CHP), the AKP's main political opponent.
Observers say the new AKP line-up reflects the party's efforts to establish itself at the center of Turkish politics, taking advantage of a notoriously fractured opposition. Turkey's ruling party eager to shrug off Islamist image (more) By Burak Akinci
Mark Alexander
