Fresh presidential bid to unsettle Turkey
The church-state divide is a major issue in Turkey
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Tuesday, 14, Aug 2007 11:02
Abdullah Gul is expected to announce a second attempt to win the Turkish presidency after his failed effort stalled in parliament earlier this year.
Mr Gul, who is backed by the ruling AK party, had his original nomination blocked by opposition parties angry at his alleged closeness to political Islam.
Such a tendency is deeply criticised in strictly secular Turkey, to the extent that opposition parties boycotted his nomination in two votes in April and May.
The incident prompted a political crisis in the country which led to early elections being called. The AK party won with 47 per cent of the popular vote.
Despite not having enough seats to secure the necessary two-thirds parliamentary majority, opposition parties say they will not repeat the boycott – allowing the necessary quorum to be achieved.
Analysts say it remains to be seen whether the army will accept this outcome. It voiced its opposition to Mr Gul's candidacy earlier this year and, according to the AFP news agency, even threatened to step in to prevent it.
Mr Gul is currently Turkey's foreign minister. Although as president he would be occupying a largely symbolic role, many say the move could indicate a shift in the mildly pro-Islamist AK party's attitude towards the country's traditional strict separation of church and state.