Turkish presidential election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Turkish presidential election refers to two attempts to elect the country's 11th president
, to succeed Ahmet Necdet Sezer
. The most likely candidate for president was Abdullah Gül
. Turkey's
presidential office is regarded as the guardian of the country's secular system; the fact that Gül's wife wears the Islamic headscarf, as well as his own history in political Islam, turned the elections into a political crisis.
The first attempt consisted of the first rounds on 27 April and its repeat on 6 May after Turkey's constitutional court annulled the first round on 27 April. The constitutional court decided that a quorum of two-thirds was necessary, which was impossible without opposition support. Both first rounds were almost entirely boycotted by opposition MPs to disable the voting to start. Therefore, the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) was unsuccessful in electing its candidate, foreign minister Abdullah Gül
. AK Party then called a snap election which was held on July 22, 2007. The general elections saw it returned to government with a larger proportion of the vote. Subsequently, Abdullah Gül
was remoninated and was finally elected in the third round of the second attempt of presendential election. The first round of this voting was on 20 August, while a second was on 24 August and a third was on 28 August. There was a quorum this time, since some opposition parties, most importantly the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP), did not boycott the election.
. A candidate requires a two-thirds majority (367 votes) to be elected in the first two rounds. If there is no clear winner before the third round, the winning threshold is dropped to a simple majority
(276 votes). If there is still no winner, the two candidates with the most votes from the third round progress to a runoff election, where the simple majority rule still applies. In the event of no clear winner among the two, the Constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock. In addition, the main opposition party, CHP argued that a quorum of two-thirds was necessary while the ruling party, AK Party claimed that it was not necessary. Later, the constitutional court ruled that a quorum of two-thirds was necessary.
, chanting slogans such as 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular', and 'We do not want an Imam
for President' to protest against the possibility of Prime Minister Erdoğan or another member of the Justice and Development Party
standing in the presidential elections. However, the only presidential candidate was a member of this party.
.jpg)
A second rally
was organised for 29 April 2007 opposing the candidacy of Abdullah Gül
from the Justice and Development Party
, which has its roots in political Islam. CNN Turk
put the figure of those participating in the rally in defence of secularism at 1,370,000 as being the largest protest of its kind in Turkish history
. The rally was broadcast live across the world, with the crowds chanting the now familiar slogan 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular'.
The spokesman of the meeting was Türkan Saylan
.
A third mass rally took place in the western Turkish towns of Manisa
, Çanakkale
and Bodrum
in defence of the secular republic. The fifth rally took place at Alsancak Gündoğdu square, İzmir. Then came sixth rally in Samsun and seventh rally in Denizli.
General
Yaşar Büyükanıt
, the Armed Forces' opinion on the elections was asked. Büyükanıt answered the question stating that the new president should be loyal to republic principles not only by words but also by heart.
On April 27, 2007, the Turkish Armed Forces
issued a statement of its interests on its official website, later called e-memorandum
by Ural Akbulut
:
In response to these statements, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek
made a speech. He said that 59th government was sensitive about the secular, democratic, social and law state.
The European Union and USA has also warned Turkey's military not to interfere in politics.
, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the official candidate of the Justice and Development Party
, achieving 357 votes. 361 members of the parliament were present at the elections and CHP
, DYP, ANAVATAN, SHP
, HYP
, GP
and some independent members boycotted the voting.
As of 27 April and 6 May 2007, the following parties were represented in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and therefore could vote:
Votes taken by Abdullah Gül
was below the two thirds of the vote needed, and so, there would be another round of voting in the following days.
However, the opposition party Republican People's Party
filed a claim to the Supreme Court, seeking a declaration of nullity in relation to the first round of voting.
On May 1, 2007, Supreme Court ruled that if two thirds of the votes was needed to elect the president in the 1st round, then it was also needed that two thirds of the parliament were present at the parliament. If this was not the case, the 1st round would have to be repeated. The constitutional court ruled in favour of the Republican People's Party
and declared the first round annulled. Nine of the eleven members were in favour of annulling the voting. Therefore, there was no second round on May 2, 2007 as the first round election had failed.
On May 6, 2007, the first round was repeated. The boycotting continued and the voting was not started at the parliament. The repeated round resulted in the withdrawal of Abdullah Gül as the necessary amount of members present was not reached yet again.
On May 9, 2007, the presidential elections were postponed due to the lack of a candidate after the pullout of Abdullah Gül. The following day, Tayyip Erdoğan called for an early general election
..
to be brought forward, since the constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock, if a president is not elected. In the election, the AK Party retained its majority and improved its popular vote count, but did not gain a two thirds majority.
. A candidate requires a two-thirds majority (367 votes) to be elected in the first two rounds. If there is no clear winner before the third round, the winning threshold is dropped to a simple majority
(276 votes). If there is still no winner, the two candidates with the most votes from the third round progress to a runoff election, where the simply majority rule still applies.
In the event of no clear winner among the two, the Constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock.
The parliament had scheduled the first three rounds of the election to be on August 20, August 24 and August 28 .
While Gül is seen as the favorite, a controversy started after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan's last speech. Erdoğan said "The people who say that (Gül is not my president), must renounce their citizenship" on television in reply to an article of Bekir Coşkun, a columnist known for his opposition to the ruling AK Party.. Many people find this anti-democratic.
Summary of the August 2007 Turkish presidential
election candidates
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top|Candidates
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top|Party
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|1st round
(20 August)
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|2nd round
(24 August)
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|3rd round
(28 August)
|-
|align=left|Abdullah Gül
|align=left|Justice and Development Party
(Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi)
|341
|337
|339
|-
|align=left|Sabahattin Çakmakoğlu
|align=left|Nationalist Movement Party
(Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi)
|70
|71
|70
|-
|align=left|Hüseyin Tayfun İçli
|align=left|Democratic Left Party
(Demokratik Sol Parti)
|13
|14
|13
|-
| colspan=2 rowspan=1|Spoiled votes
|1
|0
|2
|-
| colspan=2 rowspan=1|Blank votes
|23
|24
|23
|-
| align=right colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total MP turnout
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|448
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|446
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|448
|-
|colspan=6 align=left|Sources: Turkish Grand National Assembly online archives, newsobserver.com
|}
President of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
, to succeed Ahmet Necdet Sezer
Ahmet Necdet Sezer
- External links :* , Presidency of the Republic of Turkey...
. The most likely candidate for president was Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
. Turkey's
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
presidential office is regarded as the guardian of the country's secular system; the fact that Gül's wife wears the Islamic headscarf, as well as his own history in political Islam, turned the elections into a political crisis.
The first attempt consisted of the first rounds on 27 April and its repeat on 6 May after Turkey's constitutional court annulled the first round on 27 April. The constitutional court decided that a quorum of two-thirds was necessary, which was impossible without opposition support. Both first rounds were almost entirely boycotted by opposition MPs to disable the voting to start. Therefore, the ruling Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
(AK Party) was unsuccessful in electing its candidate, foreign minister Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
. AK Party then called a snap election which was held on July 22, 2007. The general elections saw it returned to government with a larger proportion of the vote. Subsequently, Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
was remoninated and was finally elected in the third round of the second attempt of presendential election. The first round of this voting was on 20 August, while a second was on 24 August and a third was on 28 August. There was a quorum this time, since some opposition parties, most importantly the Nationalist Movement Party
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
(MHP), did not boycott the election.
Procedure
The presidential vote is held among MPs in parliament by secret ballotSecret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
. A candidate requires a two-thirds majority (367 votes) to be elected in the first two rounds. If there is no clear winner before the third round, the winning threshold is dropped to a simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
(276 votes). If there is still no winner, the two candidates with the most votes from the third round progress to a runoff election, where the simple majority rule still applies. In the event of no clear winner among the two, the Constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock. In addition, the main opposition party, CHP argued that a quorum of two-thirds was necessary while the ruling party, AK Party claimed that it was not necessary. Later, the constitutional court ruled that a quorum of two-thirds was necessary.
Candidates
- Abdullah GülAbdullah GülDr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
, foreign minister, deputy prime minister, and former prime minister, Justice and Development PartyJustice and Development Party (Turkey)The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
. Erdoğan announced Gül's candidancy on April 24, 2007 while calling Gül as his brother. He was the official candidate of the Justice and Development PartyJustice and Development Party (Turkey)The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
, thus making him the strongest candidate to be the 11th president of Turkey. During his campaign, he met the leaders of parties represented in the Parliament, except Genç Party leader Cem Uzan. None of the parties said that they would vote for Gül in the elections. After the Supreme Court's rule on the election method, his chance to become the next president decreased since the support of Justice and Development PartyJustice and Development Party (Turkey)The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
had became not enough to get elected. On May 6, 2007, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül withdrew his candidacy after the Parliament failed to achieve a quorum for a second time.
- Ersönmez Yarbay, Justice and Development PartyJustice and Development Party (Turkey)The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
. He announced his candidancy since he believed that there should be a second candidate in the elections. By his candidancy, he protested the election method of the president, as he alleged that Erdoğan would decide the next president on his own. However, he withdrew his candidacy before the start of presidential voting.
Republic protests
On 14 April 2007, two days before the start of the nominations announcement for the presidential elections, over 300,000 protesters http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=173784http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2007/04/30/topnews/one-million-turks-rally-against-government.html&template=/topnews/feeds/story_template.html marched in the centre of AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, chanting slogans such as 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular', and 'We do not want an Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
for President' to protest against the possibility of Prime Minister Erdoğan or another member of the Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
standing in the presidential elections. However, the only presidential candidate was a member of this party.
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
was organised for 29 April 2007 opposing the candidacy of Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
from the Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
, which has its roots in political Islam. CNN Turk
CNN Turk
CNN Türk is the Turkish version of the popular cable news channel CNN. CNN Türk is a nationwide channel broadcasting exclusively in Turkey, owned by Time Warner and Doğan Medya Grubu, broadcasting since October 11, 1999. It has its headquarters in Istanbul....
put the figure of those participating in the rally in defence of secularism at 1,370,000 as being the largest protest of its kind in Turkish history
History of the Republic of Turkey
The Republic of Turkey was created after the overthrow of Sultan Mehmet VI Vahdettin by the new Republican Parliament in 1922. This new regime delivered the coup de grâce to the Ottoman state which had been practically wiped away from the world stage following the First World War.-Single-party...
. The rally was broadcast live across the world, with the crowds chanting the now familiar slogan 'Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular'.
The spokesman of the meeting was Türkan Saylan
Türkan Saylan
Türkan Saylan was a Turkish physician in dermatology. She was famous for fighting leprosy, and for founding a charitable foundation called "Association for the Support of Contemporary Living".- References :...
.
A third mass rally took place in the western Turkish towns of Manisa
Manisa
Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city and the regional metropolitan center of İzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in...
, Çanakkale
Çanakkale
Çanakkale is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 . The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan ....
and Bodrum
Bodrum
Bodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the...
in defence of the secular republic. The fifth rally took place at Alsancak Gündoğdu square, İzmir. Then came sixth rally in Samsun and seventh rally in Denizli.
Turkish armed forces' interference
On on 12 April 2007, in a press conference of the then Chief of the Turkish General StaffChief of the Turkish General Staff
The General Staff of the Republic of Turkey presides over the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force...
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Yaşar Büyükanıt
Yasar Büyükanit
General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.-Biography:...
, the Armed Forces' opinion on the elections was asked. Büyükanıt answered the question stating that the new president should be loyal to republic principles not only by words but also by heart.
On April 27, 2007, the Turkish Armed Forces
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
issued a statement of its interests on its official website, later called e-memorandum
E-memorandum
E-memorandum is a controversial General Staff statement released on its Web site in 2007 weighing in the Turkish presidential elections in 2007. The candidate that would possibly be elected was Abdullah Gül...
by Ural Akbulut
Ural Akbulut
Ural Akbulut is a professor of chemistry at METU. He had been METU's president from 2002 to 2008. During his presidency, he was involved in a debate with Melih Gökçek regarding the water problem of Ankara....
:
"...The problem that emerged in the presidential election process is focused on arguments over secularism. Turkish Armed Forces are concerned about the recent situation. ... the Turkish Armed Forces are a party in those arguments, and absolute defender of secularism..."
In response to these statements, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek
Cemil Çiçek
Cemil Çiçek is a Turkish politician who is the current Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey since July 4, 2011. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey and Justice and Development Party Member of Parliament from Ankara. He was formerly Minister of Justice and government spokesman.-Early...
made a speech. He said that 59th government was sensitive about the secular, democratic, social and law state.
The European Union and USA has also warned Turkey's military not to interfere in politics.
Voting on April 27 and May 6
The first round of voting took place on April 27, 2007, which resulted in Abdullah GülAbdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the official candidate of the Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
, achieving 357 votes. 361 members of the parliament were present at the elections and CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
, DYP, ANAVATAN, SHP
Social Democratic People's Party (Turkey)
The current Social Democratic People's Party or SHP is a Turkish left social-democratic political party established in 2002 by Murat Karayalçın, former Ankara Metropolitan Mayor and Foreign Minister ....
, HYP
People's Ascent Party
The People's Ascent Party is a Turkish political party founded by the Istanbul MP and theologian Yaşar Nuri Öztürk on 16 February 2005, adopting the principles of a democratic state of law....
, GP
Young Party
The Young Party is a nationalist, statist, secular, republican, political party in Turkey.-2002 elections:Cem Uzan entered politics 90 days before the 2002 elections. Young Party was not eligible to enter the elections and Yeniden Doğuş Partisi was a small party which was eligible to enter...
and some independent members boycotted the voting.
As of 27 April and 6 May 2007, the following parties were represented in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and therefore could vote:
| Presidential election: | Seats | 1. round April 27 |
Repeated 1. round May 6 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice and Development Party Justice and Development Party (Turkey) The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament... (AK Party) |
352 | 352 | 352 | |
| Republican People's Party Republican People's Party (Turkey) The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to... (CHP) |
149 | 1 | 1 | |
| Motherland Party Motherland Party (Turkey) The Motherland Party, was a political party in Turkey. It was founded in 1983 by Turgut Özal. It was merged to Democratic Party in October 2009... (ANAP) |
20 | 2 | 2 | |
| True Path Party True Path Party The Democratic Party , abbreviated to DP, is a centre-right, conservative Turkish political party, established by Suleyman Demirel in 1983 as the Right Path Party... (DYP) |
4 | 2 | 2 | |
| Social Democratic People's Party Social Democratic People's Party (Turkey) The current Social Democratic People's Party or SHP is a Turkish left social-democratic political party established in 2002 by Murat Karayalçın, former Ankara Metropolitan Mayor and Foreign Minister .... Sosyaldemokrat Halk Partisi (SHP) |
1 | 0 | 0 | |
| People's Ascent Party People's Ascent Party The People's Ascent Party is a Turkish political party founded by the Istanbul MP and theologian Yaşar Nuri Öztürk on 16 February 2005, adopting the principles of a democratic state of law.... (HYP) |
1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Young Party Young Party The Young Party is a nationalist, statist, secular, republican, political party in Turkey.-2002 elections:Cem Uzan entered politics 90 days before the 2002 elections. Young Party was not eligible to enter the elections and Yeniden Doğuş Partisi was a small party which was eligible to enter... (GP) |
1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents Bağımsız | 13 | 11 | ||
| Total Seats/ Total (Yes) | 541 | 357 (Among 361) | 358(Among 358) | |
| Total (No) | (180 boycotted) | (179 boycotted) | ||
| Please note that the distribution of seats has changed since the latest elections in 2002 Turkish general election, 2002 Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. It was won by the Justice and Development Party , led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote... . |
||||
Votes taken by Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
was below the two thirds of the vote needed, and so, there would be another round of voting in the following days.
However, the opposition party Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
filed a claim to the Supreme Court, seeking a declaration of nullity in relation to the first round of voting.
On May 1, 2007, Supreme Court ruled that if two thirds of the votes was needed to elect the president in the 1st round, then it was also needed that two thirds of the parliament were present at the parliament. If this was not the case, the 1st round would have to be repeated. The constitutional court ruled in favour of the Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
and declared the first round annulled. Nine of the eleven members were in favour of annulling the voting. Therefore, there was no second round on May 2, 2007 as the first round election had failed.
On May 6, 2007, the first round was repeated. The boycotting continued and the voting was not started at the parliament. The repeated round resulted in the withdrawal of Abdullah Gül as the necessary amount of members present was not reached yet again.
On May 9, 2007, the presidential elections were postponed due to the lack of a candidate after the pullout of Abdullah Gül. The following day, Tayyip Erdoğan called for an early general election
Turkish general election, 2007
Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party...
..
Succession controversy
Ahmet Necdet Sezer's term expired on 16 May 2007. This would have been the date when his successor would have been sworn in if the election had succeeded. Some claimed that Ahmet Necdet Sezer should leave the position and that the parliamentary speaker should fill the office until Sezer's successor was rightfully elected; however, it was decided that Sezer would retain the post until his successor's election.Change of the method to popular vote
The parliament initially passed constitutional amendments for electoral reform (including election of the president by popular vote, shortening the term form seven to vie years and allowing a second term) on May 11, but Sezer vetoed the bill on May 25 over concerns that the change could pit a president with a strong popular mandate against the prime minister and cause instability. Parliament voted 370-21 to override the veto on May 31. Sezer submitted the bill for a referendum on June 15. Nevertheless, the CHP and Sezer filed for a cancellation of the vote by the Constitutional Court, citing alleged procedural flaws. This was turned down by the Constitutional Court in early July. In any case, the amendments were not in force in time to change the ongoing process, under which the newly elected parliament had the duty to elect the president within 45 days, and under which there would be snap elections if the parliament failed to elect a new president.The general election
The failure to select a President caused the 2007 general electionTurkish general election, 2007
Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party...
to be brought forward, since the constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock, if a president is not elected. In the election, the AK Party retained its majority and improved its popular vote count, but did not gain a two thirds majority.
Second election attempt: August 2007
After the general election, the newly composed Grand National Assembly restarted the election for Sezer's successor.Procedure
The parliament needed to gather "367" members to be present in the assembly for the election to begin. Among the members of the established session, the presidential vote is held by a secret ballotSecret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
. A candidate requires a two-thirds majority (367 votes) to be elected in the first two rounds. If there is no clear winner before the third round, the winning threshold is dropped to a simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
(276 votes). If there is still no winner, the two candidates with the most votes from the third round progress to a runoff election, where the simply majority rule still applies.
In the event of no clear winner among the two, the Constitution states that a snap general election must be called to overcome the parliamentary deadlock.
The parliament had scheduled the first three rounds of the election to be on August 20, August 24 and August 28 .
Candidates
Following the general election, there was some speculation about whether Abdullah Gül would be nominated again by his party. There were hints that the prime minister might seek a consensus candidate, but ultimately Gül was renominated by his party on 13 August, after MHP announced its decision not to boycott the elections. Two other parties have decided to field their own candidates: The Nationalist Action Party nominated Sabahattin Çakmakoğlu on August 17, and the Democratic Left Party nominated Hüseyin Tayfun İçli.While Gül is seen as the favorite, a controversy started after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan's last speech. Erdoğan said "The people who say that (Gül is not my president), must renounce their citizenship" on television in reply to an article of Bekir Coşkun, a columnist known for his opposition to the ruling AK Party.. Many people find this anti-democratic.
Voting
After completion of the second round, Abdullah Gül was elected. The results are:Summary of the August 2007 Turkish presidential
President of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
election candidates
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top|Candidates
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top|Party
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|1st round
(20 August)
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|2nd round
(24 August)
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|3rd round
(28 August)
|-
|align=left|Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
|align=left|Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
(Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi)
|341
|337
|339
|-
|align=left|Sabahattin Çakmakoğlu
|align=left|Nationalist Movement Party
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
(Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi)
|70
|71
|70
|-
|align=left|Hüseyin Tayfun İçli
|align=left|Democratic Left Party
Democratic Left Party (Turkey)
The Democratic Left Party is a Turkish political party founded on November 14, 1985, by Rahşan Ecevit.-1985-1999:The DSP, a social democratic oriented party, was registered on November 14, 1985 by Rahşan Ecevit, wife of Bülent Ecevit, as he was banned from political life after the 1980 coup...
(Demokratik Sol Parti)
|13
|14
|13
|-
| colspan=2 rowspan=1|Spoiled votes
|1
|0
|2
|-
| colspan=2 rowspan=1|Blank votes
|23
|24
|23
|-
| align=right colspan=2 style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total MP turnout
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|448
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|446
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|448
|-
|colspan=6 align=left|Sources: Turkish Grand National Assembly online archives, newsobserver.com
|}