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Istanbul: Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan chaired a military council on Friday to appoint a new chief of Turkey's powerful armed forces as domestic tensions eased.
Land forces commander Ilker Basbug, considered a hawkish general, is expected to take the helm of the military's General Staff from General Yasar Buyukanit, who retires on August 31.
The move comes as Nato member Turkey hopes to put behind it a long power struggle between the secularist establishment, including generals and judges, and Erdogan's AK Party.
Turkey's highest court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by a chief prosecutor - seen as backed by the secularists - to shut down the Islamist-rooted AK Party but imposed financial penalties on it for anti-secular activities.
Ultimate guardian
The government has long been at odds with the secularist establishment over the role of religion in Turkey. Turkey, predominantly Muslim, has a secular constitution, and the military considers itself the ultimate guardian of the republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Hardline secularists accuse the AK Party of harbouring a hidden Islamist agenda by seeking to ease restrictions on religion in public life, such as its failed attempt to ease a ban on Muslim headscarves at universities.
Last year the chief of General Staff put a statement on the internet saying "certain circles" were trying to erode the secular system. Some dubbed it an "e-coup", aimed at stopping Abdullah Gul, a former Islamist, from becoming president. The military has since toned down its public criticism of the AK Party.
Policies
"Buyukanit has not been as outspoken since the April statement and I expect his successor to stay the same," said William Hale, author of books on Turkish politics and teacher at Istanbul's Sabanci University.
"A lot will now depend on what kind of policies the AK Party pursues but also what the secularist opposition does. Will they also reflect and be conciliatory?" he said.
Analysts had feared a closure of the party would have scuppered the usually smooth transition of military commanders. The land forces commander traditionally takes over from a retiring chief of General Staff.
Many critics said the court case was a "judicial coup" attempt by hardline secularists against an elected party.
Basbug's appointment is expected to be announced along with a flurry of other promotions and retirements after the annual August 1-4 meeting of Turkey's Higher Military Council. Board decisions will be sent to President Abdullah Gul for approval.
Tensions
Ankara is a key US ally and Washington needs its help in stabilising Iraq, particularly the Kurdish north.
Tensions were exacerbated in June by the arrests of two senior retired generals and others - all critical of the ruling party - on suspicion of trying to overthrow the government.
The arrests were part of a year-long police probe into Ergenekon, a shadowy, ultra-nationalist organisation suspected of seeking to sow chaos in Turkey to spark a military coup.
The military has removed four governments in 50 years, most recently in 1997 when it mounted a public campaign that forced the ruling Islamist Welfare Party to quit. On that occasion, unlike now, the ruling party was unpopular.
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