Turkey's parliament, which is controlled by the ruling AK Party, expects to start voting for a new president on August 20th, a senior AK official said today.
The official, who declined to be named, said the second round of voting was planned for August 24th and the third and final round on August 28th. No official decision has yet been taken.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has signalled he will make a second bid for the top job despite stiff opposition from the powerful secular elite, including army generals.
The secularists derailed a first attempt in parliament in May to have Mr Gul elected president, forcing Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to call an early parliamentary election.
