Word: gul
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Turkey today passed a political landmark when, for the first time in its history, a politician rooted in political Islam was elected President. Bringing four months of government turmoil to an end, Abdullah Gul won the post on the third round of balloting by the nation's parliament...
...repeated. To win the presidency, a candidate must the backing of two thirds of legislators in either of two rounds of voting. But if the vote is forced to a third round, a simple majority suffices to elect a candidate - provided enough legislators show up to vote. Gul's candidacy failed in April because opposition parties stayed away and denied parliament a quorum. That is unlikely to happen this time. A member of the opposition Nationalist Action Party promised Tuesday that his party will turn out to vote, no matter what, and that would ensure the requisite two-thirds quorum...
...Gul is undeterred by the military's opposition, insisting he is the right man for the job. Despite his roots in Islamist politics, he is considered a moderate and, as Turkey's foreign minister, is comparatively well-known outside of Turkey. At 56, he is young by the standards of Turkish politicians, and was visibly thrilled by his party's electoral victory last month - and by banners waved during the parliamentary campaign that read "Gul for President!" Addressing reporters on Tuesday, he vowed to stand by the secularist priniciples of Turkey's constitution...
...will work to protect the vision of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk [the staunchly secular founder of modern Turkey]," Gul said. "It is the duty of the president to protect democracy and secularism." Some liberal commentators are supporting his candidacy as a reproach to the military for intervening too vocally in May. But the hard-line secularist Republican People's Party, or CHP, reacted harshly. Its leader, Deniz Baykal, denounced his nomination as a threat to the "peace and stability of this country." He told a Turkish newspaper, "If Gul is elected, Turkey's political balances will change . Turkey will be transformed...
...Turkish military was roundly criticized at home and abroad for helping trigger the crisis in May: In what was later described as an "e-coup," the military had published a message on its website denouncing Gul's candidacy. The nomination of a candidate other than Gul would allow the generals a face-saving line of retreat. But if that does not happen, last month's victory at the ballot box for the AKP leaves the army facing a stark choice between its version of secularism and respect for Turkish democracy...