Turkey elects 'former Islamist' as president
Abdullah Gul has denied claims he has an Islamist agenda
Also In The News
|
EMI, out now
In a nutshell. |  |
Tuesday, 28, Aug 2007 06:11
Turkey has elected a former Islamist as president for the first time in the republic's 84-year history.
Abdullah Gul, the current foreign minister, was confirmed as the country's next president after a third round of voting in the 550-member parliament.
Parliamentary speaker Koksal Toptan said: "Abdullah Gul in the third round obtained an absolute majority and was elected the 11th president of Turkey with 339 votes."
The election of the 56-year-old, of the ruling AK party, is controversial as Turkey has fiercely guarded its secular constitution since being founded from the embers of the Ottoman empire by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.
Neither the AK party or Mr Gul are explicitly Islamist, but critics say the fact the president elect's wife Hayrunnisa wears a headscarf is indicative of his political approach.
His nomination by his party as president in April prompted a boycott of parliament from opposing political parties, leading to prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling an early general election in July.
The AK party, which translates as the Justice and Development party, subsequently won 47 per cent of the vote, making Mr Gul's election a formality.
Yesterday the head of the country's armed forces said he saw "centres of evil" threatening to undermine Turkey's secular status.
"The Turkish armed forces will not make any concessions in its duty of guarding the Turkish Republic, a secular and social state based on the rule of law," General Yasar Buyakanit warned.