Re-run of Turkish presidential vote fails

ANKARA: Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, the sole candidate in Turkey's presidential election, failed to get elected in an abortive ballot re-run in parliament on Sunday, when the session could not open for lack of a quorum.   

After two roll calls 10 minutes apart, parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc closed the session, saying only 356 members were present in the first roll and 358 in the second.   

Turkey's Constitutional Court has ruled that the election requires two-thirds of the parliament, or 367 legislators, to participate in order to be valid.   

Arinc said the house would meet again on Wednesday for another round of voting, but Gul said earlier Sunday that he would withdraw his candidacy if he is not elected in this round.   

An initial vote on April 27, in which Gul fell 10 votes short of the 367 required to be elected, was annulled last week by the Constitutional Court on an interpretation of the quorum rule.