Word: erdogan
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...reason for his conversion to political activism, he says, is that his country is facing the gravest threat to its secularist identity in more than 50 years. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has links, he believes, to Islamic sects that are intent on undermining democracy and Turkey's treasured secularist principles. For the the sake of the nation, says Koseoglu, they must be defeated at the polls. "We want to expose the true face of the AKP and make sure no vote is wasted." The little outfit to which he belongs, formed...
...Turkey's powerful military has frequently indicated its readiness to launch a cross-border operation, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted - until now. Newly under pressure from the secularist army over his party's Islamic roots, Erdogan's thinking about military action in Iraq has clearly changed, telling the ATV Turkish television network that parliament would now approve a military strike if the army sought it. "It is out of the question for us to disagree on this issue with our... soldiers," he said. He also indicated he would not seek the U.S.'s approval, which has opposed...
...Always a key behind-the-scenes force in domestic politics, Turkey's military has gotten more involved in governmental affairs recently. Last month it warned of possible intervention if Erdogan posted foreign minister Abdullah Gul, a devout Muslim, as Turkey's next president, citing doubts over his secularist credentials. The ensuing crisis forced the government to back down and call early elections, now scheduled for July...
...incumbent President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, is a staunch secularist who was only too willing to wield his veto power to quash legislation and appointments he deemed too Islamist. As the ruling party, the AKP had a constitutional right to appoint one of its own to replace Sezer, and Erdogan came close to nominating himself for the job. In the end, he bowed out in the face of vigorous opposition from the military and the public, and picked Gul as a compromise candidate...
...Widely considered the more moderate of the two politicians, Gul speaks English, unlike Erdogan, and is even rumored to have a sense of humor. He is also well-known to Turkey's allies in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere, and played a key role in presenting Turkey's case for membership to the E.U. Still, like most top AKP officials, Gul got his start in parties that were banned in the 1990s for flirting with political Islam. And secularists could not abide the idea that, as Turkey's First Lady, Gul's wife Hayrunnisa would be wearing the traditional Muslim...