Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was attacked while campaigning for the June 12 parliamentary elections, RIA Novosti reports.
A police officer guarding his cortege died, another one was injured, Erdogan said.
The attack happened in Kastamonu Province at 17.15 (local time). Grenades were thrown and fire opened on the cortege from a forest. A police car was set on fire. The assailants escaped.
Erdogan left the spot via helicopter. The bus of the ruling Justice and Development Party was attacked. Not a single organization has taken responsibility for the attack so far.
According to the Metropol research company, a quarter of voters has not decided on which candidates to vote for. The Justice and Development Party is one of the favourites. It has been in power since 2002 amd received 47% of the vote in June 2007, forming a single-party government.
Polls say that Erdogan may receive 47-50% of the vote this year. The Republican People's Party may receive 27-30% of the vote and the Nationalist Movement Party - 12-14%.
The Turkish parliament has 550 seats. 16 political parties will participate in the elections. They need over 10% of vote to gain any seats.
