 Erdogan is a step closer to the premiership |
Turkey's electoral commission has said the leader of the country's governing party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can run in a March by-election. The decision brings him a step closer to becoming prime minister.
Mr Erdogan, who leads the Justice and Development (AK) party, was barred from standing in the November parliamentary elections because of a past conviction for Islamist sedition.
The parliament has since amended the constitution.
The by-election, in the south-eastern Siirt province, will take place on 9 March.
If Mr Erdogan wins, current Prime Minister Abdullah Gul is expected to stand aside for him.
Under the Turkish political system, a serving prime minister must also be a member of parliament.
Constitutional changes
The Siirt by-election has arisen because the November election result was annulled over procedural irregularities. The AK party announced Mr Erdogan's candidacy for the seat earlier this month.
The party won an overwhelming victory in November, which helped it to push through the constitutional changes that have enabled Mr Erdogan to stand.
AK has Islamist roots, and its predecessors were banned for "anti-secular activities".
However, Mr Erdogan insists that the new party is committed to secularism.
One-Minute World News 
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