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Outgoing President GÃ¼l signals return as AKP seeks road map for post-ErdoÄŸan era

11 August 2014 15:21 (UTC +04:00)

“Returning to my party is the natural thing. I am its founder, its first prime minister and the president," Gül said on Aug. 11 during a reception with journalists at the presidency in Ankara.

ErdoÄŸan's comprehensive victory with almost 52 percent in the first round of the presidential election, according to unofficial results, is considered by some to be a game changer in the near-future scenarios for the post-ErdoÄŸan era.

Up to now, Gül has been excluded from post-ErdoÄŸan scenarios and messages delivered by ErdoÄŸan during the campaign also strengthened such assumptions.

However, the presidential results have led some in the AKP to say they show the need for strong leadership in the party in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in June 2015, rather than a figure who would simply act as a shadow for ErdoÄŸan at the top of the party

Gül’s name has therefore started to be cited again as a possible prime minister, particularly by those senior AKP executives who are subject to a three-term consecutive limit for deputies, daily Cumhuriyet newspaper reported on Aug. 11.

During the reception, Gül dismissed questions as to whether he had ever been "offended" during his time in office. “I don't deal with the past. The past is in the past ... What is right and natural is serving my nation,” Gül said.

Just as the first clear signal of ErdoÄŸan’s presidential candidacy was given after a meeting of the ruling AKP’s highest decision-making body, the Central Decision and Executive Council (MKYK), a signal welcoming Gül to the future equation is expected after the MKYK’s Aug. 11 meeting.

“I am continuing to hold my official title of president,” Gül added, in response to questions on the ruling AKP’s upcoming extraordinary congress, declining to comment on party affairs as the serving head of the state. The new leader of the party and the successor of the prime minister will be decided at the congress, the date of which has still yet to be finalized.

In this regard, deliberations over the date of the AKP’s upcoming extraordinary congress will be decisive. As Gül’s term in office officially ends on Aug. 28, setting a date for the congress before Aug. 28 would widely be interpreted as a resistance to including Gül in the game again, as he would not be able to attend the congress while still in office. However, a congress date after Aug. 28 could be considered as a strong indication of a consensus within the party leadership for welcoming Gül back into the fold.

Gül was one of the founders of the AKP, which was established in August 2001 and came to power for the first time in November 2002, going on to win the parliamentary elections in 2007 and 2011.