Gul elected as Turkish president | World news | The Guardian Turkey Gul elected as Turkish president The new Turkish president, Abdullah Gul (left) with the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, earlier this year. Photograph: AP Tuesday 28 August 2007 10.35 EDT First published on Tuesday 28 August 2007 10.35 EDT Share on Messenger Close The Turkish parliament today elected the foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, as president, making him the first former Islamist to hold the post. Mr Gul had failed in the previous two round of voting when a two-thirds majority was needed. This time, only a simple majority was required - and the presidency was his after he received 339 votes in the 550-seat chamber. As the president, Mr Gul has the power to veto legislation. He has failed to allay secularist fears that he would sign into law any legislation passed by the government of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan - a close ally - without concern for the separation of religion and politics. Distrusted by the military because of his Islamist past, 56-year-old Mr Gul has promised to uphold secularism.

Turkey's secularists also dislike the fact that his wife, Hayrunisa Ozyurt, wears an Islamic-style headscarf - banned in government offices and schools. Islamic dress has been restricted in Turkey since the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, imposed secularism and western-style reforms in the 30s. "A person who has defied the [secular] republic, who has said he finds it to be wrong, is about to move to the top of the state. This is a contradiction," Deniz Baykal, the leader of the secular opposition, said. Mr Baykal's party has vowed to boycott some state occasions, including presidential ceremonies. Secularist Turks staged mass rallies, and the military - which has overthrown four governments since the 60s - threatened to intervene when Mr Erdogan nominated Mr Gul for the presidency in April. Mr Erdogan broke the political deadlock by calling early general elections, which the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) won easily last month. After the AKP's sweeping victory, in which it gained 341 seats, Mr Erdogan again put Mr Gul's name forward on the grounds that the AKP had won a mandate.

Mr Gul rejected calls from secularist parties to step aside in favour of a non-Islamist, compromise candidate. "It was a vote on my candidacy," he said of the general elections. "I had to be honest to myself and to all the people who voted for us." As foreign minister, Mr Gul won widespread respect from his fellow Europeans in negotiations for Turkey's membership of the EU. He served briefly as prime minister when the AKP first swept to power in November 2002, when Mr Erdogan was banned from national politics. In a recent meeting with foreign journalists, he said he would make use of his experiences as foreign minister to boost Turkey's EU bid and make the Turkish presidency more active on the international scene. He added that Turkey "would be contributing more to world issues". Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul Elected President | Fox News Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul Elected President Published August 28, 2007 Associated Press advertisement ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey 's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul , was elected president on Tuesday, the parliament speaker said, in a major triumph for the Islamic-rooted government after months of confrontation with the secular establishment.

Gul received 339 votes in a parliamentary ballot, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said. The victory made him the first head of state with a background in political Islam in a country with strong secularist principles. "Abdullah Gul was elected Turkey's 11th president, with 339 votes," Toptan said. "I congratulate him." Ruling party legislators broke into applause. Two other candidates, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu of a nationalist party, and Tayfun Icli of a small center-left party, got 70 and 13 votes, respectively. A day earlier, the military — which has ousted four governments since 1960 — issued a stern warning about the threat to secularism. Gen. Yasar Buyukanit , chief of the military, said in a note on the military's Web site: "Our nation has been watching the behavior of those separatists who can't embrace Turkey's unitary nature and centers of evil that systematically try to corrode the secular nature of the Turkish Republic." Gul's initial bid for president was blocked over fears that he planned to dilute secular traditions.

Gul failed to win the presidency in two rounds of voting last week because the ruling Justice and Development party lacked the two-thirds majority in Parliament needed for him to secure the post. But the party — which holds 341 of the 550 seats — had a far easier hurdle on Tuesday, when only a simple majority was required. Gul, 56, has promised to uphold secularism. But Turkey's president has the power to veto legislation, and Gul has failed to allay secularist fears that he would sign into law any legislation passed by the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a close ally — without concern for the separation of religion and politics. Also, his wife wears an Islamic-style head scarf — which is banned in government offices and schools. Islamic attire has been restricted in Turkey since the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ushered in secularism and Western-style reforms in the 1930s.

Abdullah Gül: The Man Who Would be Turkey′s President | Europe | DW.COM | 20.08.2007 Europe Abdullah Gül: The Man Who Would be Turkey's President After causing Turkey's biggest political crisis in a decade, Abdullah Gül on Monday again failed to be elected president in the first round of voting by falling short of the two-thirds majority necessary to win. Gül's opponents have accused him of plotting to dismantle Turkey's secular state Turkey's parliament is to pick a new president this month after the country's secular opposition, backed by the military, derailed a previous election in April because of objections to the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül. Following its decisive victory in the July 22 elections, the AKP has re-nominated Gül for the presidency. The Turkish parliament will choose the new president in a series of up to four votes, the first of was held on Monday. In the first round of voting, Gül received 341 votes from the 550-seat house, 26 short of the two-thirds majority of 367 needed in the first round. The second round of voting is scheduled for Friday.

Gül, a former Islamist, hopes to placate those who opposed him in the April elections by expressing his commitment to Turkey's secular constitution. "The constitution will be my guide," Gül said during the announcement of his second bid to become Turkey's new president last week. "The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state based on the rule of law. My primary objective will be to protect and further strengthen these principles…" Thousands protest against Islamisation Thousands protested in support of secularism The ruling AKP's first nomination of Gül to the presidency sparked Turkey's most serious political crisis in a decade, with hundreds of thousands of protestors rallying in the big cities in support of secularism. The military also weighed in and warned that it would defend secularism at all costs. The AKP was forced to call early elections and on July 22 the Islamist-rooted party won a decisive victory. According to Saban Disli, the vice chairman of the AKP, the election results were also a popular vindication of Gül's presidential bid, and anything other than his re-nomination would mean acting against the will of the electorate. Disli dismissed the fears of liberal and secularists who harbor concerns over Gül's Islamist background. "First of all Mr.

Gül will be an independent president, he will be at equal distance to all political parties, all Turkish people," Disli said. "His only guideline will be the Turkish constitution. He says that he will be following up very closely what the constitution says and he will be safeguarding the Turkish constitution -- nothing more. So I think Gül will be a very good president of Turkey." Güls background a concern to many Gül cannot shake off the stigma of his Islamist past What makes the idea of a Gül presidency so controversial in Turkey is his long history of involvement in political Islamic movements. He first became involved during his university days before joining the Islamic Development Bank, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as an economist in 1983. After leaving the bank in 1991, he entered politics and became a deputy of the Islamist Welfare Party, rising to become state minister and spokesman in the Erbakan government in 1996. However, his ambitions were curtailed by a political campaign backed by the military which ousted the government in 1997.

Despite his political background, Gül has earned a worldwide reputation as a moderate conservative, reform-minded and pro-EU politician, particularly during the last four years as the AKP government's foreign minister. These last few years have seen many changes in Gül's approach. During the early 90s, he was highly critical of Turkey's Western orientation and was against its possible membership to the European Union. But, as Turkey's foreign minister, he has overseen Turkey's bid to join the EU and has championed political and economic reforms. He has also developed close working relationships with his European colleagues and has coordinated efforts to solve problems in the neighboring regions and the Middle East. During Gul's foreign ministry, Turkey also adopted a new approach and formed closer relations with the Arab and the Muslim world. Under Gül’s recommendation, a Turkish scholar, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, was elected as the new secretary general of Saudi dominated Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Ihsanoglu, with the support of the Turkish government, has initiated an ambitious reform agenda, to re-structure the organization, in order to make it a strong international body of Muslim countries.

A man of contradictions Hamas leaders were guests of the AKP in Ankara On the other hand, despite his perceived even-handedness, Gül continues to cause concerns in the Western world. His continued close contacts with Islamic organizations have particularly worried the US, especially after he welcomed a Hamas delegation to Ankara, presented a timid stance against Iran's nuclear program and made bellicose statements about attacking Kurdish rebels in Northern Iraq, all of which did little to convince Washington that a Gül presidency could be fully depended on. Gül also harshly criticized the EU on Cyprus and the US on its Middle East policies; however, in both cases, he also adopted a constructive and moderate approach that enabled quickly mending the ties. Despite these instances, Gul's overall performance in the last four years has been taken by many Western powers as evidence of his new moderate ideas. However, at home, Turkey's secularists still believe that this is just double-speak and AKP is in fact itching to dismantle the secular character of Turkish state.

Secularists oppose Gül as president The army vows to protect the constitution at all costs Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chairman Onur Oymen, who strongly opposes Gul's presidency, recently said that Gül has provided enough evidence for his opponents to believe that under his presidency, Turkey's secular state would be at risk. "He is on the record with his views against the basic principles of our republic, starting with secularism, the separation of religion from the affairs of the state," Oymen said. "Such a person, we believe, should not be the president of Turkey." According to Semih Idiz, a prominent Turkish columnist, Gul's past record as foreign minister is not so problematic among the eyes of Turkey's liberals and seculars. But he said it is Turkey's secular forces, including the military, who are most suspicious of Gul's Islamist past and because his wife wears a headscarf, a symbol of political Islam. Gül's Islamist past and his wife's headscarf are issues "His performance (as the foreign minister) has been rather positive and this is the general understanding," Idiz said. "It is his Islamic background that is creating the controversy here and in particular the fact that his wife's head is covered.

The secularist forces in Turkey do not want to see this because for them, it represents the collapse of the last bastion of secularism." Idiz added that the secularist camp is increasingly concerned about the amount of power the AKP has acquired; it is currently in power, it has a strong majority in the parliament, including the prime minister and the speaker of the house and now it appears the next president could also come from the party. "The secularists say this is unacceptable," Idiz said. AKP consolidating power The AKP has a huge majority, large support and key roles in parliament In the Turkish parliamentary system, policies are defined and carried out by the government, but the president also has significant power over decisions. He or she must approve every law and formal decision emerging from the parliament, as well as the appointments of key officials, including generals, governors, ambassadors and university rectors. Secularists fear Abdullah Gül as president would promote Islamist candidates to key state institutions, gradually undermining secularism. The AKP dismisses charges that it has a secret Islamist agenda, and describes itself as a "conservative democrat" party.

But secularists point to its record in the past five years, including encouragement of religious schools, failed attempts to restrict alcohol sales and make adultery a punishable crime. Turkey's military, which traditionally views itself as the guardian of secularism, refrained from making a hasty statement on Gül's re-nomination. The AKP's Saban Disli has said that the military will adopt a "wait and see" approach on Abdullah Gül's presidency. "The military as usual is showing great responsibility," Disli said. "The military's public declarations have always quoted the constitution. With the AKP having won the election with a large majority, and with Gül declaring that he will guard the secular statute of Turkey, Turkish democracy, Turkish civil rights and economic development…I think it is very important the military take this patient approach." DW recommends Gul Elected to Turkey's Presidency Gul Elected to Turkey's Presidency TOOLBOX Washington Post Foreign Service Wednesday, August 29, 2007 CAIRO, Aug. 28 -- Beaming as the votes were counted, a veteran government figure with roots in political Islam won a parliamentary vote to become Turkey's president Tuesday, in defiance of the country's strongly secular military.

Abdullah Gul's triumph presented Turkey's generals with a choice: overthrow Gul in what would be a deeply unpopular coup or accommodate the rise of political Islam in the Muslim world's most rigidly secular state. Gul immediately sought to reassure the military and other doubters. "Turkey is a secular democracy. . . . These are basic values of our republic, and I will defend and strengthen these values," he told parliament after taking the oath as Turkey's 11th president. Many Turks say the popularity of Gul's mildly Islamic Justice and Development Party after five years in power, and the unprecedented economic prosperity it has brought, will probably shield it from any immediate putsch. Turkey's military sees itself as the guardian of the secular state established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923. Generals have driven out four governments since 1960, including an overtly Islamic government in the 1990s in which Gul held a cabinet post. Recent overthrows have been accomplished through pressure; the military has not used force to bring down a government since 1980. Gen.

Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the military, posted a statement on the military's Web site Monday warning against "furtive plans that aim to undo modern advances and ruin the Turkish republic's secular and democratic structure." There was no immediate comment from the military after Gul's election victory. Gul won 339 votes in the 530-seat parliament. His wife, Hayrunisa Gul -- whose wearing of an Islamic-style head scarf has fixated Turkey's generals and others in the secular opposition -- was conspicuously absent from Gul's swearing-in ceremony later Tuesday. Turkish law forbids the head scarf in public buildings. Also absent were the military commanders who normally attend such ceremonies. For the government, Gul's election marked a victory after months of risky brushes with the military. Gul initially had been poised to win the presidency in a vote parliament was to have held in April. A warning then from the military on its Web site and street protests by hundreds of thousands of secularists, as well as legal challenges, prompted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to back off from nominating Gul, his foreign minister. Erdogan instead called early national elections, gambling that his party would increase its majority in parliament and strengthen his hand against the military.

The move succeeded, giving the Justice and Development Party nearly 50 percent of the votes cast in the July vote, up from 34 percent in the previous vote. Many members of Turkey's military took the vote count as a rebuke of their preelection move against a largely popular and successful democratically elected government. "In Turkey, a new period already has started," said Nejat Eslen, a retired brigadier general and an ardent supporter of secularism, speaking Tuesday by telephone after Gul's election. "And I believe the military side will watch carefully and closely." CONTINUED 1 Turkey Parliament elects Abdullah Gul as President Turkey Parliament elects Abdullah Gul as President Source : AKI | AP Kurd Net does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news information on this page Turkey Parliament elects Abdullah Gul as President 29.8.2007 August 29, 2007 ANKARA, -- Turkeyï¿½s Parliament on Tuesday elected foreign minister Abdullah Gul ï¿½ the ruling Islamist rooted AKP partyï¿½s candidate ï¿½ as President in a third round of voting.

Mr Gul, who needed a simple majority of 276 votes from the 550 seat parliament to be elected, garnered 339 votes. A total 112 members of the main opposition secularist Peopleï¿½s Republican Party (CHP) boycotted the third round as it had the previous two. The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Partyï¿½s 20 members cast blank votes and the Nationalist Movement Party and Democratic Left Party supported their own candidates. Mr Gulï¿½s candidacy sparked deep controversy in Turkey with secularist and the army alleging it marked a threat to the countryï¿½s secular nature. The CHP boycotted the previous presidential election on April 27 and applied to the constitutional court claiming a quorum of 367 deputies was needed for a valid vote. New elected Turkish President Abdullah Gul waves after he received his official election document in Ankara August 28, 2007 On the same day, Turkeyï¿½s powerful military issued a statement threatening to intervene if the countryï¿½s secular structure was threatened.

At the time, hundreds of thousands of secular supporters took to the streets in major cities to protest against Mr Gulï¿½s candidacy. However, the AKPï¿½s sweeping election victory in July 22 parliamentary elections in which it took more than 46 per cent of the votes cast, made the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other influential politicians in the party insist on Mr Gulï¿½s candidacy. "The July 22 parliamentary elections was at the same time like a referendum for the presidency of Abdullah Gul. People showed us that they want to see Gul as the President," AKP deputy chairman Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat said. Although Gul has previously announced that his Islamist ideals are a thing of the past, he is still perceived as a danger by secularist. One of Gul's sons attended the ceremony, but his wife, Hayrunnisa, did not. She wears an Islamic-style head scarf, which is banned in government offices and schools and is viewed by secularists as a troubling symbol of religious fervor, and even militancy. Some who wear the headscarf say the Turkish state's restrictions on Islamic attire amount to a curb on freedom of expression.

Turkey's president has the power to veto legislation and official appointments, and Gul has failed to allay secularist fears that he would gladly approve any initiatives of the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a close ally. Erdogan said he planned to submit his new Cabinet to Gul for his approval Wednesday. Erdogan had presented his list earlier this month to outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who said the new president should approve it. "I hope (Gul's presidency) is beneficial to the country, the people and the republic," Erdogan said. "God willing, together, shoulder to shoulder, we will carry Turkey forward." Gul took the post from Sezer, a staunch secularist, in a low-key ceremony that was closed to the media. On his way out of the palace, Sezer stopped his car to say goodbye to guards and journalists. "Keep well!," he said. Outside the palace gates, secularist Turks waved Turkish flags, threw flowers at his vehicle and shouted: "We are proud of you!" Police also prevented two dozen demonstrators who were protesting Gul's election from approaching the palace.

Gul failed to win the presidency in two rounds of voting last week because the ruling Justice and Development Party lacked the two-thirds majority in parliament needed for him to secure the post. But the party ï¿½ which holds 341 of the 550 seats ï¿½ had a far easier hurdle Tuesday, when only a simple majority was required. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the United States welcomed "this exercise in Turkish democracy. We think it continues the course of democratic development in that country." European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he hoped the government "will be able to resume work ... to give fresh, immediate and positive impetus" to EU entry talks. AP | AKI ** Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in Turkey and are denied rights granted to other minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and education in the Kurdish language, but critics say the measures do not go far enough. The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously rejected due to its alleged political implications by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan" Southeast Turkey.

Others estimate over 40 million Kurds live in Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia), which covers an area as big as France, about half of all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in Turkey. Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds, some of whom openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language, prohibiting the language in education and broadcast media. The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and 2003 The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is a criminal offence" Turkey's Parliament Elects Gul as President Turkey's Parliament Elects Gul as President By VOA News 28 August 2007 Turkey's parliament has elected Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as the country's new president, despite fears from critics that he will undermine Turkey's secular system.

The vote Tuesday was the third round of balloting in the election. Only a simple majority in the 550-seat chamber was necessary for victory today, instead of the two-thirds required in the previous rounds. Gul got 339 votes. Gul, of the ruling Justice and Development Party, failed earlier this month to win the two-thirds majority required for a first or second round victory. A devout Muslim, Gul is Turkey's first head of state with a background in political Islam. However, he has pledged to uphold the nation's strong secular traditions separating government and religion. Turkey's military chief warned Monday of threats to those traditions, vowing that the military will protect Turkey's secular and democratic structures. General Yasar Buyukanit, head of the staunchly secularist military, said "centers of evil" are trying to undermine Turkish secularism. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the military to stay out of politics. Gul's wife wears an Islamic headscarf, which has been banned in Turkey's public offices and schools for nearly three decades. Gul's nomination for president earlier this year sparked a political crisis in which thousands of secularists took to the streets to protest his candidacy.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters. NEWSLETTER Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul Elected President | Fox News Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul Elected President Published August 28, 2007 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey 's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul , was elected president on Tuesday, the parliament speaker said, in a major triumph for the Islamic-rooted government after months of confrontation with the secular establishment. Gul received 339 votes in a parliamentary ballot, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said. The victory made him the first head of state with a background in political Islam in a country with strong secularist principles. "Abdullah Gul was elected Turkey's 11th president, with 339 votes," Toptan said. "I congratulate him." Ruling party legislators broke into applause. Two other candidates, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu of a nationalist party, and Tayfun Icli of a small center-left party, got 70 and 13 votes, respectively.

A day earlier, the military — which has ousted four governments since 1960 — issued a stern warning about the threat to secularism. Gen. Yasar Buyukanit , chief of the military, said in a note on the military's Web site: "Our nation has been watching the behavior of those separatists who can't embrace Turkey's unitary nature and centers of evil that systematically try to corrode the secular nature of the Turkish Republic." Gul's initial bid for president was blocked over fears that he planned to dilute secular traditions. Gul failed to win the presidency in two rounds of voting last week because the ruling Justice and Development party lacked the two-thirds majority in Parliament needed for him to secure the post. But the party — which holds 341 of the 550 seats — had a far easier hurdle on Tuesday, when only a simple majority was required. Gul, 56, has promised to uphold secularism. But Turkey's president has the power to veto legislation, and Gul has failed to allay secularist fears that he would sign into law any legislation passed by the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a close ally — without concern for the separation of religion and politics.

Also, his wife wears an Islamic-style head scarf — which is banned in government offices and schools. Islamic attire has been restricted in Turkey since the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ushered in secularism and Western-style reforms in the 1930s. Advertisement Turkey: Conservative Muslim Elected President Turkey: Conservative Muslim Elected President By Jeffrey Donovan August 28, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Nearly nine decades after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the secular republic of Turkey, a conservative Muslim has been elected president. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was elected today in a third round of voting by parliament to become country's first head of state with a background in political Islam since the creation of the deeply secular Turkish republic in 1923. Gul secured 339 votes in the 550-seat parliament, which is dominated by the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development (AK) party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Not everyone has been happy with Gul’s bid for the presidency, which began some four months ago.

In April, millions of people across Turkey took to the streets to protest the possibility that the country's next president could hail from the AK party. "We are against the AK party!" they chanted. "We are Ataturk's children! That's why we're here -- all the people!" "Ataturk's children," including the military, are concerned that, with Gul as president, the AK party will have a free hand to push through what they see as a secret agenda to undermine secularism. "I want to believe [Gul], but I cannot believe [him]," said Nagme Bas, a 68-year-old Istanbul resident. "Two faces. Two years [ago], he doesn't like Ataturk. Two years [later], so-so. Now, he likes Ataturk. Next year, I'm not sure he will like [Ataturk] or not. I cannot believe [him]. I don't like this government. I think they are working under the table." Elections Left AK Party Stronger Many Turkish secularists decry what they see as the AK party's insincere stance on secularism and its champion, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the revered founder of modern Turkey.

The protests sparked in April by Gul's first bid to become president triggered a political crisis and a stern warning by the staunchly secular military, which has unseated four elected governments in the last half century. But in early elections on July 22 called to end the crisis, Erdogan's pro-business AK party emerged even stronger, taking nearly half the votes. That new strength in parliament is set to elevate Gul to the presidency. Now, the question is whether the secular foundations of Ataturk's republic can survive with a conservative Muslim president whose wife wears a head scarf -- a taboo in Turkey. "All these issues were brought to the fore in the demonstrations," says Turkish political analyst Bulent Aliriza. "And those who were marching in the streets, and some of the political parties were saying that the country is becoming more fundamentalist. And what happened? AK ended up with more than half the votes. So what I think is happening is that the country is becoming more religious, or at the very least, the visible expression of religious devotion is higher than what it was. The question is whether this is the beginning of the end of the Turkish secular system. And I think, frankly, it isn't." The Military Speaks Yet there are signs of confrontation.

On the eve of Gul's expected election, Turkish military chief General Yasar Buyukanit warned that the country's secularism and unity are under attack by "centers of evil." A note posted on the military's website ahead of Victory Day celebrations on August 30 said, "Our nation has been watching the behavior of centers of evil who systematically try to corrode the secular nature" of the country. Aliriza says it will be up to AK to decide how far to push its desire for conservative changes in the face of pressure from secularists, including the military establishment: "Is there going to be a move by AK to undermine the secular system, as its detractors stressed?" he says. "Without [outgoing President Ahmet Necdet] Sezer being there, and with Gul being at the presidential palace, it will be AK which restrains itself, rather than the presidency. So we're going to have to see." A Bolder Agenda? There are signs that the AK party will seek to use its strength in parliament to push through changes to Turkey's secular traditions. The party said it would have ready by the end of September a new constitution that it says would increase personal freedoms.

Media reports say the new constitution is expected to reduce the powers of the president, subject military rulings to civilian review, and end a ban on Islamic head scarves in universities. The AK party has vowed it is committed to Turkey's secular roots, but such proposals are unlikely to win any converts among Turkish liberals. Mustafa Ozyurek is deputy chairman of the fiercely secular Republican People's Party, which has vowed to boycott any official events that Gul will attend as president. "If Mr. Gul shows a very different personality when he is elected, as he is promising now, then we can revise our attitude," Ozyurek says. "However, all the signs are showing that, during the presidency of Mr. Gul, Turkey will become a moderate Islamic state, step-by-step." Ordinary secularists, particularly women, worry they will slowly lose cherished freedoms, such as wearing whatever clothing they want or drinking alcoholic beverages without undo restrictions. Today's Vote Not everyone is overly concerned, however. Under Erdogan's AK party, Turkey has taken unprecedented steps toward EU membership. The European Union, in turn, has encouraged Erdogen's government to push through reforms that would curtail the role of the Turkish military in civilian life.

"If [Gul] keeps these promises, and if he keeps the promises especially on the secular democratic nature of the Turkish republic, then I believe that there should be no tension," says Murat Yetkin, a columnist for the respected political newspaper "Radikal." "And I believe the question marks now pending on the presidency of Abdullah Gul will fade out. Otherwise, there might be some tensions, political tensions in society and in politics." Parliament failed to elect Gul in the first two votes, where a two-thirds majority is needed for victory. For today's third round, he only needed a simple majority. While serving a mostly ceremonial role, the Turkish president can veto laws and the appointments of officials and appoint judges. The presidency also carries symbolic weight, because the post was first held by Ataturk himself. Copyright (c) 2007. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWSLETTER Turkey: Conservative Muslim Elected President Turkey: Conservative Muslim Elected President August 28, 2007 Email to a Friend Print Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Gul during the presidential vote in parliament (AFP) August 28, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Nearly nine decades after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the secular republic of Turkey, a conservative Muslim has been elected president. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was elected today in a third round of voting by parliament to become country's first head of state with a background in political Islam since the creation of the deeply secular Turkish republic in 1923. Gul secured 339 votes in the 550-seat parliament, which is dominated by the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development (AK) party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Not everyone has been happy with Gul’s bid for the presidency, which began some four months ago. In April, millions of people across Turkey took to the streets to protest the possibility that the country's next president could hail from the AK party. "We are against the AK party!" they chanted. "We are Ataturk's children!

That's why we're here -- all the people!" "All the signs are showing that, during the presidency of Mr. Gul, Turkey will become a moderate Islamic state, step-by-step," one analyst said. "Ataturk's children," including the military, are concerned that, with Gul as president, the AK party will have a free hand to push through what they see as a secret agenda to undermine secularism. "I want to believe [Gul], but I cannot believe [him]," said Nagme Bas, a 68-year-old Istanbul resident. "Two faces. Two years [ago], he doesn't like Ataturk. Two years [later], so-so. Now, he likes Ataturk. Next year, I'm not sure he will like [Ataturk] or not. I cannot believe [him]. I don't like this government. I think they are working under the table." Elections Left AK Party Stronger Many Turkish secularists decry what they see as the AK party's insincere stance on secularism and its champion, Ataturk, the revered founder of modern Turkey.

The protests sparked in April by Gul's first bid to become president triggered a political crisis and a stern warning by the staunchly secular military, which has unseated four elected governments in the last half century. But in early elections on July 22 called to end the crisis, Erdogan's pro-business AK party emerged even stronger, taking nearly half the votes. Now, the question is whether the secular foundations of Ataturk's republic can survive with a conservative Muslim president whose wife wears a head scarf -- a taboo in Turkey. "All these issues were brought to the fore in the demonstrations," says Turkish political analyst Bulent Aliriza. "And those who were marching in the streets, and some of the political parties were saying that the country is becoming more fundamentalist. And what happened? AK ended up with more than half the votes. So what I think is happening is that the country is becoming more religious, or at the very least, the visible expression of religious devotion is higher than what it was. The question is whether this is the beginning of the end of the Turkish secular system. And I think, frankly, it isn't." The Military Speaks Yet there are signs of confrontation.

On the eve of Gul's expected election, Turkish military chief General Yasar Buyukanit warned that the country's secularism and unity are under attack by "centers of evil." Secularists demonstrating against Gul's nomination in April (AFP) A note posted on the military's website ahead of Victory Day celebrations on August 30 said, "Our nation has been watching the behavior of centers of evil who systematically try to corrode the secular nature" of the country. Aliriza says it will be up to AK to decide how far to push its desire for conservative changes in the face of pressure from secularists, including the military establishment: "Is there going to be a move by AK to undermine the secular system, as its detractors stressed?" he says. "Without [outgoing President Ahmet Necdet] Sezer being there, and with Gul being at the presidential palace, it will be AK which restrains itself, rather than the presidency. So we're going to have to see." A Bolder Agenda? There are signs that the AK party will seek to use its strength in parliament to push through changes to Turkey's secular traditions. The party said it would have ready by the end of September a new constitution that it says would increase personal freedoms.

Media reports say the new constitution is expected to reduce the powers of the president, subject military rulings to civilian review, and end a ban on Islamic head scarves in universities. The AK party has vowed it is committed to Turkey's secular roots, but such proposals are unlikely to win any converts among Turkish liberals. Mustafa Ozyurek is deputy chairman of the fiercely secular Republican People's Party, which has vowed to boycott any official events that Gul will attend as president. "If Mr. Gul shows a very different personality when he is elected, as he is promising now, then we can revise our attitude," Ozyurek says. "However, all the signs are showing that, during the presidency of Mr. Gul, Turkey will become a moderate Islamic state, step-by-step." Ordinary secularists, particularly women, worry they will slowly lose cherished freedoms, such as wearing whatever clothing they want or drinking alcoholic beverages without undo restrictions. Today's Vote Not everyone is overly concerned, however. Under Erdogan's AK party, Turkey has taken unprecedented steps toward EU membership. The European Union, in turn, has encouraged Erdogen's government to push through reforms that would curtail the role of the Turkish military in civilian life.

"If [Gul] keeps these promises, and if he keeps the promises especially on the secular democratic nature of the Turkish republic, then I believe that there should be no tension," says Murat Yetkin, a columnist for the respected political newspaper "Radikal." "And I believe the question marks now pending on the presidency of Abdullah Gul will fade out. Otherwise, there might be some tensions, political tensions in society and in politics." Parliament failed to elect Gul in the first two votes, where a two-thirds majority is needed for victory. For today's third round, he only needed a simple majority. While serving a mostly ceremonial role, the Turkish president can veto laws and the appointments of officials and appoint judges. The presidency also carries symbolic weight, because the post was first held by Ataturk himself. Religion And Tolerance A thematic webpage devoted to issues of religious tolerance in RFE/RL's broadcast region and around the globe.

Related Turkey Elects President With Ties to Islamism Turkey Elects President With Ties to Islamism August 28, 2007 10:44 AM by findingDulcinea Staff Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul becomes the country’s first president with an Islamist background, in a victory that marks the increasing influence of Turkey’s religious middle class on a government with staunchly secular roots. 30 Second Summary On Tuesday, August 28, Abdullah Gul was elected Turkey’s next president by the country’s 550-member parliament. The 56-year-old economist won 339 votes, far surpassing the 226-vote majority necessary. Noticeably absent from the election were the 128 members of the main party of the secular establishment, the Republican People's Party (CHP), who boycotted the balloting in protest of Gul’s past ties to the overtly Islamic Welfare Party during the 1990s. Until this election, the Turkish presidency had been an elite secular post, which along with the military, was perceived as a safeguard against the political influence of religious groups.

The military has taken it upon itself to protect the secular nature of this post in the past, ousting four elected governments with Islamist ties since 1960. The military has yet to make a statement concerning the Gul’s election, but not a single military commander attended his inaugural ceremony. Whether or not the military decides to act against Gul’s presidency, his victory raises important questions about the extent to which a government can be both democratic and Islamic. In his acceptance speech, Gul stressed his commitment to the country’s secular values, and pledged to continue working toward European Union membership. If this is the case, then Turkey could serve as a model for the entire region on how to temper Islamic values with those of a democratic government. Headline: Gul elected, approves new cabinet Gul’s election ends a four-month-long political impasse between Turkey’s military and secular establishment, which was strongly opposed to his candidacy, and Gul’s own Justice and Development Party (AKP). In May, the military blocked Gul’s candidacy, forcing a general election in July that saw the AKP win 46.6 percent of the popular vote.

go to site » Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and President Gul surprised critics and supporters by naming a new cabinet devoid of any major personnel changes. “It’s a balanced team, with no major surprises,” Referans newspaper columnist Cengiz Candar was quoted as saying in the Financial Times. Reactions: The Turkish and American press discuss the rise of Turkey's religious middle class The Turkish press has had mixed reactions to Gul’s election. Some papers express relief at the conclusion of the AKP’s political standoff with the military; others hail Gul’s election as a historic turning point, while some still fear his presidency will erode Turkey’s secular foundation. go to site » Although the Turkish military has yet to make a formal statement about Gul’s election, Chief of General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit issued a strongly worded written message on the eve of Gul’s election. In it Buyukanit warns of “sinister plans to destroy ... the democratic, secular nature of our country are emerging every day in different shapes and forms ...

Our nation is watching the behavior of centers of evil who systematically try to corrode the secular nature of the Turkish Republic and the unity of our nation.” go to site » The Economist writes that Gul’s presidency marks the entrance of a “new class of overtly pious entrepreneurs into the mainstream of political and social life.” Gul will face the unique challenge of balancing the expectations of this newly powerful middle class with the fears of secular Turks. go to site » PBS’s "NewsHour" features a discussion between two experts on Turkey: Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute on Near East Policy, and Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. go to site » The Middle East Times reports that Gul’s election is likely to aid Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union. Although this is a good sign for Turkey, after having encountered much opposition to its membership from the 27-member bloc, most analysts agree that accession to the EU is still at least 15 years away.

go to site » Time magazine analyzes the expectations and fears Gul’s election has engendered in Turkish society: “the AKP have carved out a reputation as reformers; starting accession talks to join the European Union, introducing reforms under which the economy has boomed and improving human rights ... But Turkey's secularists remain deeply suspicious. Pointing to Gul and Erdogan's background as formerly hard-line Islamists, they argue that the AKP harbors a secret Islamist agenda. As President, Gul has the power to approve or veto legislation, and secularists fear that he will sign into law any bill passed by Erdogan's government without concern for the separation of religion and politics.” go to site » The terms “Islamism” and “Islamist” are used constantly in the media, but what exactly do these words mean? Graham E. Fuller of the Council on Foreign Relations writes that broadly defining an Islamist is a difficult task: “The Islamist phenomenon is hardly uniform ... multiple forms of it are spreading, evolving, and diversifying. Today one encounters Islamists who may be either radical or moderate, political or apolitical, violent or quietist, traditional or modernist, democratic or authoritarian.

The oppressive Taliban of Afghanistan and the murderous Algerian Armed Islamic Group (known by its French acronym, GIA) lie at one fanatic point of a compass that also includes Pakistan's peaceful and apolitical preaching-to-the-people movement, the Tablighi Jamaat; Egypt's mainstream conservative parliamentary party, the Muslim Brotherhood; and Turkey's democratic and modernist Fazilet/Ak Party.” go to site » Turkey is a country split between citizens who believe Ataturk's vehement secularism is the key to democracy, and those who think their religious beliefs can coexist with democratic ideals. Now as power swings toward the country's more religious citizens, the two groups are confronted with the task of striking a balance that preserves the integrity of their government and their individual rights. go to site » According to a report written by Stephen A. Cook and Douglas According to a report written by Stephen A. Cook and Douglas Dillon Fellow titled "Generating Momentum for a New Era in U.S.-Turkey Relations" the stability of the new Turkish government is critical for the United States because of its potential to serve as a democratizing ally in the increasingly hostile environment of the Middle East.

go to site » The conclusion of World War I saw the Allies use the Treaty of Sevres to reduce the Ottoman Empire to a comparatively small state comprising the northern half of the Anatolian peninsula. Although Sultan Muhammad VI accepted the treaty, Turkish nationalists led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk didn't waste any time in defying his authority. Before the treaty was even signed, nationalists had created a functioning Turkish national government in Ankara. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne established Turkey's current borders, and Ataturk took office as the new republic's first president. go to site » Past Turkey-U.S. relations were forged by American Cold War efforts to curb the spread of Soviet communism. The Library of Congress explains this as follows: “The general tendency for relationships between nations to experience strain in the wake of domestic and international political changes has proved to be the rule for Turkey and the United States.” After the Cold War, the Turkish government realized that its national security was dependent on remaining an ally to the United States.

go to site » Saad Eddin Abraham and Mensur Akguin of The Jerusalem Post viewed Gul’s election in a more positive light, writing that “the AKP has managed not only to become solidly mainstream in Turkish politics but also, through its own example, paved the way for other Muslim Democrats … the latest democratic election in Turkey, coupled with the success of other religiously-affiliated parties in recent years in other countries, from Indonesia to Mauritania, may be putting to rest the suspect proposition of "Muslim Exceptionalism." If countries like Turkey can survive as democratic regimes with Muslim-majority populations, why can't others?” go to site » Richard Weitz of World Politics Review writes that Gul’s election may intensify turkey’s already close relations with Russia. “Since the government, led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) took office in 2002, Turkey has been drifting eastward -- but not toward the Islamic world ... Under the AKP, Turkish-Russian commerce has soared, from $8 billion in 2002 to $25 billion today.

Russia has become Turkey's second-largest trading partner, second only to the EU.” go to site » Mehmet Ali Birand of Turkish Daily News writes that Gul is a new kind of president “because he does not perceive secularism as an ideology or even as a religion like a great majority of our society does ... [and] he attaches more importance to religious values than this secular sector does. Even though we can't really call him a fundamentalist, some of us exaggerate his religiousness to the level of comparing him to bin Laden ... Gül has the necessary qualifications to enable him to ... become everybody's President.”

Question: Abdullah Gul was elected President of which country in August 2007?
Answer: Turkey