Thousands of people waving red Turkish flags filled the streets here on Sunday to protest the Islamist-rooted government ahead of a July election. “No to Sharia,” and “Turkey is secular and will remain secular,” were some of the slogans chanted by the crowd in the main square. The rally, the latest in a series of protests, was described by organisers as a way of uniting the divided opposition against the government, which they accuse of trying to undermine the overwhelmingly Muslim state’s secularity.The latest protest follows a pact on Thursday between main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the smaller left-wing DSP to contest the July 22 election together. The leaders of the two parties arrived at the demonstration together. Two right-wing parties, True Path and Motherland, have also merged to form the New Democrat Party in a bid to ensure they cross Turkey’s 10 percent threshold required to enter parliament. “We are here for an enlightened Turkey. We are here so that our future generations can see better days. We are here so that they can see a totally independent Turkey, free of backwardness and Sharia,” said retired teacher Ahmet Altunkus, 55. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, which denies any Islamist agenda, has called a general election ahead of schedule to resolve a conflict with the secularist elite over a presidential election.