ISTANBUL, April 29: Up to a million people rallied in a sea of red Turkish flags on Sunday, accusing the government of planning a religious state and demanding it withdraw its presidential candidate.

But despite the Istanbul protests and a threat from the powerful army to intervene in the election, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, architect of Turkey's EU membership drive, said he would remain the ruling AK Party's candidate for head of state.

The protesters flooded the streets of Turkey's largest city, praising the army and denouncing Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan whose AK Party enjoys a huge parliamentary majority, as a threat to a secular order separating state and religion.

“Turkey is secular and will remain secular,” they chanted.

“Turkey is under threat from the AK Party leadership... We will not be able to express our thoughts like this if they stay in power,” said protester Cigdem Yilmaz, 22, a student.

Top Turkish businessmen called for early parliamentary elections, which the AK party would appear well placed to win.

Many secularists are worried by Gul's Islamist past and the fact his wife wears the Muslim headscarf banned in universities and public offices. But the AK Party, which has vigorously pressed liberal reforms and European Union membership ambitions, since election in 2002, denies any secret agenda.

“As a woman I want to be free... We are here to protest against being covered,” said Canan Karatay, president of Istanbul Science University.

—Reuters