The Turkish government criticized its army on Saturday, saying it was not above the law and had no right to intervene in the political process.
"The military was out of line," government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters during a news conference.
Cicek was responding to a military proclamation that was issued by the military’s General Staff late Friday. According to the proclamation, "certain circles" in Turkey were working to wear away the value of secularism in the country.
"Challenging the state… [they] are not afraid to exploit the religious beliefs of our people and are attempting to hide their increasing efforts to undermine the state behind the guise of religion," the proclamation added.
This statement followed the results of the presidential elections on Friday. The elections were boycotted by the opposition parties, which hold just over one third of the parliamentary seats. The ruling Islamist party’s candidate for the presidential post, Foreign Minister ‘Abdullah Gul, failed to win the votes of two thirds of the parliament and will have to run in the second round of elections on May 2.
If Gul wins the elections, he will become the first candidate from an Islamist party to win the presidency in the modern secularist Turkey.
The Turkish army has already initiated four coups against elected governments since 1960, most recently in 1997.
"It must not be forgotten that the Turkish Armed Forces… is a strict defender of secularism. [TAF] will openly display its attitude if the occasion arises," the army’s General Staff proclamation warned on Friday.
Tens of thousands protested in favor of a secular Turkey in Istanbul on Sunday.