Turkey’s AKP prepares for presidential contest

The nomination of Turkey’s foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, as the government candidate for the presidential selection process came as little surprise to those who felt a “compromise” candidate was in order. However, while many in the political establishment are hoping that his election will proceed smoothly, the past record of Gul and his close association with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have caused concern for some. The secular establishment in Turkey will not go down without a fight, although this may be exactly what Gul and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are hoping to avoid. Political expediency Erdogan’s decision to not stand for the presidency was based on a combination of political expediency as well as popular sentiment. Throughout the months of speculation, the only indication he had given as to who the potential candidate would be was when he declared in February that the next president would