Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday pledged that Turkey's draft constitution would guarantee secularism after calls for a religious charter sparked controversy in the predominantly-Muslim country, AFP reports.
"Secularism will feature in the new constitution we draft as a principle that guarantees citizens' freedom of religion and faith and that ensures the state is at an equal distance from all faith groups," Davutoglu said in a televised speech.
The prime minister said that Turkey's secular and democratic character was "not up for debate" under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), in power since 2002.