Foreign minister chosen as candidate for presidency in Turkey

The foreign minister — announced Tuesday as the ruling party's candidate for president — would have a diverse and often divided audience: the country's Islamic-oriented hinterland, its secular business and military elite, and negotiators from the European Union who want Turkey to become a modern nation before any entry into their club.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Gul's candidacy in Parliament to the cheers and applause of party members whose support in a voting process that begins Friday is expected to secure the presidency for their man. The job is ceremonial, but the president has the power to veto legislation.

The selection follows months of political tension over whether Erdogan himself would run for the job, a prospect that infuriated secularists who believed he might use his Islamic credentials to dilute the nation's secularist traditions.

At a news conference, Gul sought to ease those concerns, although he is a close political ally of Erdogan. Both men have rejected the label of Islamist, citing their promotion of sweeping reforms as a means of advancing Turkey's EU bid.

"The president must be loyal to the main principles of the Republic as stated in the constitution, he must be loyal to secular principles," Gul said. "If the Parliament elects me president, no one should doubt I will certainly act within these principles and rules of the constitution."

However, Gul is unlikely to be free of controversy because his wife, Hayrunisa, wears the traditional Muslim head scarf, and secularists such as the current president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, recoil at the idea of such a religious symbol being worn in the presidential palace.

"This is an individual choice and we must all show respect," said 56-year-old Gul, who would follow in a line of distinguished Turkish statesmen. The first to occupy the presidential office was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern, secular nation.

A ban on head scarves in public offices and campuses has been enforced vigorously since the 1980s under the auspices of the military, which considers itself guarantor of the secular constitution.

Erdogan said Gul would be a candidate who would be "embraced by all of Turkey," but some lawmakers expressed skepticism that Gul would rigorously follow Ataturk's secularist ideas.

"His mind-set is no different than Erdogan," said Mustafa Ozyurek, deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party. "There is no evidence that he is sincerely loyal at heart to the secular republic and principles of Ataturk."

Ozyurek said his party would not attend the first round of voting on Friday, which the opposition believes will deprive the ruling party of a quorum of 367, or two-thirds of lawmakers, needed for elections. Ozyurek said the opposition party would apply to the Constitutional Court to cancel the election if the first round proceeded without 367 lawmakers present, a move that could force early general elections.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party insisted, however, that a quorum of one-third would be enough to conduct the voting.

Deniz Baykal, chairman of the Republican People's Party, was more circumspect than his deputy, saying it was up to Gul not to politicize the presidential post.

Seeking compromise, Gul quickly began visiting opposition parties to seek support for his candidacy.

Tugrul Kudatgobilik, head of the Turkish Employers' Confederation, welcomed Gul's nomination, praising his work for closer EU ties and his good ties to business groups.

"When taking into account his compromising personality, we believe he is a candidate that is capable of ensuring social consensus," Kudatgobilik said.

On Tuesday, police detained 14 people who protested against Gul's candidacy outside the presidential palace, holding up pictures of Ataturk and shouting: "Turkey is secular and will remain secular!" The group was arrested after ignoring police calls to disperse. Similar small protests were held elsewhere in the capital, the government-run Anatolia news agency reported.

A burly, mustachioed figure with a gentle manner, Gul has cultivated an image as a moderate, talking to Western leaders as foreign minister and acting as an impassioned voice for reforms to make Turkey a part of the European Union.

Gul, who was born in 1950 to a pious family in Kayseri in central Turkey, has a doctorate in economics from Istanbul University. He spent eight years working for the Islamic Development Bank, based in Saudi Arabia.

The seven-year term of the current president, Sezer, ends May 16. By remaining prime minister, Erdogan will be able to steer government initiatives, promote economic stability and bolster his party's votes in general elections in November. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/