Turkey headed on Wednesday for early parliamentary elections on July 22 to settle a standoff between the Islamist-rooted government and the secular elite over the country's strict separation of mosque and state. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan proposed the early poll a day after Turkey's highest court ruled that the first round of a presidential election was invalid, a defeat for the ruling AK Party that Erdogan labeled "a bullet aimed at democracy."The opposition boycotted the first round of the vote in parliament, preventing the required quorum and forcing the country towards early elections. The court ruled that without a quorum the election was invalid. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, an AK party member and the only presidential candidate, is a former Islamist whose wife wears an Islamic headscarf. Opponents fear that Gul as president and Erdogan as prime minister would push Turkey towards an Islamist agenda, something they both deny. "We made a decision which will end all of the controversies and give the word to the nation. Our dear nation will present its preference of the future," Erdogan said. Parliament's constitutional committee proposed holding the vote on July 22 rather than June 24 as proposed by the AK Party, and CNN Turk quoted Erdogan as saying he had no objection. Parliament's general assembly was expected to approve the date.