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Turkish foreign minister Gul hints he will run for president again, despite opposition |
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Written by AP
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Thursday, 26 July 2007 02:56 |
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Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul hinted Wednesday that he would resume his bid to become president, despite fierce opposition from Turkey's military-backed, secular establishment.
Gul's party won a strong parliamentary majority in weekend general elections, called early to defuse political tension ignited by the Islamic-rooted party's first attempts to present Gul as a presidential candidate. At the time, the army threatened to intervene to safeguard secular principles.
But following his party's re-election, Gul indicated he would run again.
"I cannot turn a blind eye to the will of people," Gul said Wednesday. "The demand of the people is clear."
The new Parliament's first task will be to choose a new president, whose post is largely ceremonial, but who has power to veto government appointments and legislative bills.
Opposition leader Deniz Baykal said Tuesday that the future president must respect the constitution, which prohibits mixing religion with politics — signaling that his party's objection to Gul remains.
Mustafa Ozyurek, a prominent member of Baykal's Republican People's Party, said the party would not support Gul's candidacy.
Baykal's party boycotted the parliamentary presidential election process in May, depriving the ruling party of the support needed to elect Gul as president. Gul then abandoned his bid.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called general elections for July 22, four months earlier than scheduled, to find a way out of the deadlock.
On Wednesday, Erdogan reiterated his party's willingness to compromise, but said opposition parties should take into account the fact that his party won a strong mandate.
"Compromise does not mean the minority imposing its will on the majority," Erdogan said. "The language of the people is clear."
Erdogan also said it was up to Gul to decide on whether to run.
"I have respect for his decision — he was treated unjustly," Erdogan said, in reference to Gul's earlier unsuccessful bid.
His party won more than 46 percent of the votes, giving it 340 seats in the 550-member legislature. But a two-thirds majority is needed to elect a president, so Erdogan's party would need support from other lawmakers. |