Turkey ? The ruling party’s presidential candidate failed to win a first-round victory in a parliamentary vote Friday – an election marked by tensions between the Islamic-rooted government and defenders of Turkey’s secular tradition.

The military, which considers itself the guardian of secular principles enshrined in Turkey’s constitution, expressed concern about the disputed election and indicated it was willing to become more openly involved in the process. The military had largely stayed out of the current public debate, but in the past it staged three coups to restore order.

Most opposition legislators boycotted the first round of voting Friday and challenged its validity in the Constitutional Court.

The boycott was aimed at depriving Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party of the 367 lawmakers – two-thirds of the 550-seat Parliament – who the opposition says must be present at the time of voting for the election to be valid. The ruling party says only one-third is needed for a quorum.