Half way through what could turn out to be one of the most crucial weeks in Turkey's recent political history, its parliament has voted to hold elections on November 3rd.
The vote brings to an end two months of political deadlock which started when the Prime Minister, Mr Bulent Ecevit, was hospitalised at the beginning of May. Squabbling between Mr Ecevit's coalition partners had stalled a $16 billion IMF pact and brought reforms vital to Turkey's possible EU membership to a standstill.
Far more significantly, it seems likely that a reform package aimed at bringing Turkish law into line with EU norms will be approved by deputies today.
The package contains bills calling for the abolition of the death penalty, and Kurdish language education for the country's large Kurdish minority. Though opposed by right-wing nationalists, the changes are essential if Turkey is to have a hope of discussing European accession at the Copenhagen summit this December.
The speed with which the package has been hustled through the first stages of legislation surprised observers here.
Many believed its more controversial aspects would never get through the committees charged with preparing the law for parliament.
"If the pattern we've seen today in the committees prevails tomorrow in parliament, the package should pass easily," says Sedat Ergin, columnist with the daily Hurriyet, "and that's a big step for Turkey." But not everybody here is overjoyed at the prospect of early elections.
Recent polls suggest they would be won by Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan's moderate Islamic party, KP, the bête noire of Turkey's secular elite and powerful army.
Mr Ecevit, whose own deeply unpopular party risks being swept away in November, repeated warnings that a victory for Mr Erdogan "might threaten the regime and structure of the state".
To which Mr Bulent Arinc, a KP deputy, replied: "If you try to incite fear in an effort to block the future of a political party, you could threaten democracy."