Turkey's Erdogan must now heal divisions
ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has achieved what few Turkish politicians would have dreamed possible only a few years ago --- securing the re-election of a party with roots in political Islam.
Just 10 years ago the army removed from power a party it deemed too Islamist for a country whose secular system the military is duty-bound to defend under the constitution.
A year later, Erdogan, then mayor of Istanbul, found himself briefly in jail -- for reading a religious poem at a rally.
On Sunday his ruling AK Party won nearly half the popular vote in a parliamentary election, streets ahead of its nearest, secularist, rival -- and the 53-year-old was looking forward to ruling the secular, Muslim country for another five years.
The son of a poor sea captain took a gamble by calling the poll early after losing a dangerous battle with the secular elite over who would be president, and won the people's backing.
But in Turkey, where the military-backed elite has long controlled all key institutions, that is not the end.
A hot-tempered but charismatic politician, Erdogan must now muster all his skills to capitalize on his victory and unify a country deeply divided over the role of religion, ethnic minorities and potential membership of the European Union.
And judging by recent events, including mass pro-secular rallies and military threats to intervene in politics, more surprises lie ahead for a resourceful outsider who as a boy sold day-old bread rolls to pay for school.
"He faces significant challenges ahead with a deeply divided country, but he's ultimately a pragmatic politician," said Wolfango Picolli of Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy.
A first headache will be how to respond to a call from the army for a cross-border military operation to crush Turkish Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.
MAN OF THE PEOPLE
Erdogan has a taste for sharp suits and expensive watches, and can switch from a sour face to a big smile in an instant.
The father of four hails from Istanbul's tough Kasimpasa district, used to play soccer for money and has a rough accent that the posh secular elite in the capital Ankara has often frowned upon.
Sunday's win is also a testament to his love of campaigning and belief that hard work pays. It has helped turn him into Turkey's most popular politician but his autocratic style has often irked party colleagues.
He held rallies in more than 50 of the 81 provinces of Turkey, a country bordering the European Union in the west and Iran, Iraq and Syria in the east.
"I love to be out to meet people and go to the corners of the country. Opposition leaders would not do this, they don't like to leave their comfortable homes," he told Reuters on his plane after returning from a trip to a remote province.
As the campaign bus sped down a dusty road, a loudspeaker announced Erdogan was on board and the prime minister dutifully handed out dolls and toy cars to children.
"He knows there are only a few parliamentary seats up for grabs here, but he wants to show he's a man of the people," said a senior AK Party adviser on the bus, which was escorted by special-forces and air support.
In Ankara, the heart of secularism, he is an outsider.
Powerful secularist generals have been watching keenly for any sign he wanted to usher in Islamist rule by stealth.
"Democracy is a tram. Go as far as you are going and then get off," secularist media have often quoted him as saying.
Erdogan's wife wears the Islamic headscarf which is seen in state circles as a challenge to secularism and which is banned in government buildings.
The prime minister sent his daughter abroad to study so she could wear the headscarf at college, which is illegal in Turkey.
A devout Muslim, he doesn't drink or smoke.
"I use perfume to hide my smoke," said one of his advisers. "He doesn't like us smoking."
Even though Erdogan remains a controversial figure he is respected by most Turks for restoring stability in a country plagued by decades of chaotic coalitions and military coups.
