On Sunday, Turks will choose a new parliament in what is seen as a crucial election following a conflict between the ruling AK Party and the secular elite. The AK Party is expected to win, but not with enough seats to change the constitution. This has led to optimism in Turkish financial markets. Investors support the AK Party's economic policies but worry that a strong majority could lead to further tensions with secularists, including the military. The EU is monitoring the election closely in the hope that a new government will kickstart Turkey's reform process. According to some analysts, investors are not properly concerned about the risks involved in the upcoming elections in Turkey. Wolfango Piccoli from Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, believes that the elections will not resolve the institutional deadlock in Turkey and that the country's problems have only been delayed. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had to call the elections early after facing opposition from the secular elite, including the army, top judges, and opposition parties. The new parliament will now have to choose Turkey's next president, with concerns from secularists that Erdogan and Gul may be trying to undermine the separation of state and religion in the country, a charge both men deny. A majority of two-thirds or more would allow the AK Party to make changes to Turkey's secular constitution and elect their presidential candidate without considering opposition concerns. To ease fears of secularists and appeal to the urban middle class, Erdogan has removed many Islamist-leaning members from his party and has put forward more centrist and female candidates in the upcoming election. Erdogan has also indicated a willingness to negotiate over the presidency, a position traditionally held by secularists. Polls suggest the AK Party could receive around 40 percent of the vote, an increase from 34 percent in the 2002 election, but may end up with fewer seats due to other parties surpassing the 10 percent threshold to enter parliament. Polarisation is expected in the upcoming parliamentary elections, with the main opposition parties like the Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and pro-Kurdish candidates likely to win seats. According to Ayse Ayata, a professor at Ankara's Middle East Technical University, the parliament is expected to consist of polar opposites, and having a coalition government could help reduce this polarization. 42.5 million Turks out of a total population of 74 million will be eligible to vote, with four million young people participating in a national election for the first time. Analysts anticipate heated debates in the new parliament, including clashes between the AK Party ex-Islamists and the arch-secularists of the CHP, as well as between Kurdish deputies advocating for more rights and MHP ultra-nationalists who see these demands as a threat to Turkish national security. The upcoming parliament session will test the ability of Turks and Kurds to come to a consensus on the Kurdish issue, according to Mehmet Ali Birand, a veteran TV commentator. The conflict between Turkish security forces and Kurdish separatist rebels in the southeast region has been ongoing since 1984, resulting in over 30,000 casualties. Despite the focus on terrorism in election rallies, there has been little mention of Turkey's EU membership bid, reflecting a growing disillusionment with the EU among the public.