25 July 2007

Gül says he is still running for president

Turkey's foreign Minister, Abdullah Gül, has hinted that he intends to continue seeking the country's presidency, saying, "It is out of the question that I should rule myself out as a candidate."

The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, to which Gül belongs, recently won 46% of the vote in a general election. This does not give the party enough votes to push its candidate through to the presidency without opposition support. The opposition parties, meanwhile, strongly opposed Gül's candidacy the last time around, because of the AK Party's Islamist roots (BBC).

Let's see how this plays out. The last thing the AK Party is likely to want is another election, which might get it yet another ambiguous mandate. I think the time for compromise has arrived.

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