The fight over Turkey's presidency

04/05/2007

Bloggers discuss the significance of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's bid to become Turkey's next head of state.

By Aydin Ileri for Southeast European Times – 04/05/07

Demonstrations organised by NGOs brought out hundreds of thousands in support of Turkish secularism. [Getty Images]

A political crisis over who should succeed incumbent President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has engulfed Turkey. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been widely expected to make a bid for the post, but he faced powerful opposition from secularists and the military. Instead, his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) nominated Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, perceived as more moderate, but the furor persisted.

The military came out with a strongly worded statement implying possible intervention, huge protests were held in major cities, and the Republican People's Party filed a challenge with the Constitutional Court, charging that first-round parliamentary voting on Gul's candidacy had been invalid. The court agreed, and Erdogan responded by moving up the date for parliamentary elections.

"Is the presidential nominee selected by the AKP the right choice for Turkey?" asks canlicasper. "Is the main concern about Mr. Abdullah Gul's personality and mission, or the fact that his wife wears a headscarf?"

How much can Gul "contribute to the stability of the Republic?" he adds.

Kemaloncu has an ironic take on the issue, writing that Gul will surely help Turkey "better market itself to the Western world". After all, didn't his wife once file suit at the European Court of Human rights over the headscarf? Controversies like that are sure to keep Turkey in the international headlines, he suggests.

The country "could not market itself any better even if it paid millions of dollars", Kemaloncu concludes.

Halifie supports Gul for president, insisting that the fundamental principles of the Republic, including secularism, are not under threat. "It is not possible to bring Sharia to Turkey. Turkey will not allow this," he writes. "Regardless of his wife's headscarf, Gul will rule the country honestly."

Moreover, Halifie continues, those trying to block the candidacy should think about the meaning of democracy. A "true democracy" isn't one where the same ideology always wins.

Does Gul really represent a more moderate voice within the AKP? Sizmirk doesn't think so. "The only difference between Erdogan and Gul is their names," he argues. "Gul and Erdogan pursue the same cause, the same outlook, and the same thoughts."

According to Sizmirk, secularists should examine their own role in bringing about the current situation. "They did not refrain from internal struggles for power," he writes. "They did not put the interests of their country above the pursuit of political power, and they took themselves out of the race by getting involved in polemics."

The prospect of AKP dominance is a wake-up call, and the next election will show if the secular parties have heeded it, Simzirk concludes.

Finally, Sophia blames the Turkish media "for providing irrelevant choices, and covering up the main issues, and concentrating solely on the name of the candidate as if it would make any difference if the candidate was Gul, Cubukcu or Aydin".

The important thing is "that the candidate should be a loyal protector of Ataturk's principles, secularism and the Republic", she writes.