VZCZCXRO2217
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHAK #2223 2401519
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 281519Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3569
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEUITH/TLO ANKARA TU PRIORITY
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002223 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: ALL EYES ON PRESIDENT GUL 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 2213 
     ¶B. ANKARA 2194 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Janice G Weiner, reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary and comment:  The Turkish parliament elected 
FM Abdullah Gul as Turkey's 11th President on August 28 with 
339 votes.  Gul was sworn in at 6 pm local.  All but the 
Republican People's Party (CHP) attended the voting; CHP 
continued its boycott of both the vote and the swearing in. 
The Turkish General Staff (TGS) did not attend the swearing 
in.  Gul's ascendancy to the presidency -- Ataturk's seat in 
Cankaya -- remains a difficult pill to swallow for the 
military and staunch secularists.  Buyukanit's uncompromising 
August 27 statement (ref A) underscored what everyone already 
knew:  all critical eyes will be on Gul, who will enjoy no 
honeymoon.  His presidency means enormous responsibility for 
Gul personally and substantial opportunity for Turkey:  if he 
performs impartially and well, his continued focus on foreign 
policy and outreach to world leaders could play to Turkey's 
-- and our -- advantage.  How it plays will depend on how 
both Gul and PM Erdogan's soon-to-be-formed new government 
deal with the inevitable scrunity by the secular opposition 
and institutions strongly backed by the military.  End 
summary and comment. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Turkish parliament on August 28 elected FM 
Abdullah Gul Turkey's 11th President in the third and 
decisive round of presidential voting.  A simple majority of 
the 550-member parliament was needed to elect the new 
president.  Gul garnered 339 of the 448 votes cast -- those 
of his own Justice and Development Party (AKP).  The 20 
pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) MPs attended and, 
for the third time, cast blank votes.  The Nationalist Action 
Party (MHP) and Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputies all 
showed, each voting for their own party's candidate.  MHP 
made good on its pledge not to obstruct the process, despite 
having been excoriated in the ultranationalist press for 
enabling Gul's election.  Immediately after the Speaker 
announced the election results, PM Erdogan publicly thanked, 
in the name of democracy, all political parties who 
participated. 
 
¶3. (C) CHP continued its head-in-the-sand approach, 
boycotting both the parliamentary session and Gul's swearing 
in.  CHP vice chair Mustafa Ozyurek has stated publicly that 
CHP will respect the office of the President, though CHP will 
scrutinize Gul's actions as President to ensure the country 
does not start to edge away from secular democracy. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Following the election, Parliament Speaker Toptan 
delivered the document confirming Gul's election as President 
to the FM at his Residence.  The swearing in took place at 
parliament at 6 pm local time.  Neither outgoing president 
Sezer's wife Semra, nor Gul's wife Hayrunisa (whose headscarf 
secularists see as the symbol of creeping Islam) were 
present.  Representatives of the TGS did not attend, though 
they have attended previous presidential swearing in 
ceremonies.  A ceremonial military honor guard, consisting of 
all Turkish military services, gave Gul full honors just 
before he entered parliament to take the oath of office. 
Immediately after the oath taking, the new President -- 
clearly moved -- delivered an initial speech in which he 
pledged to work tirelessly and impartially for all Turks. 
"My door will be open to everyone," he closed. 
 
¶5. (C) All eyes will be on President Gul as he shoulders 
enormous responsibility.  He must separate from his political 
past and, as Turkey's President, act above politics.  Yet he 
will be a key political actor -- a role from which Sezer 
largely demurred.  How Gul defines his relationship with his 
former AKP colleagues will be key.  Recent surveys show that 
Turks believe Gul -- a former PM and FM, who speaks fluent 
English and calls many world leaders his friends -- is well 
qualified for the job.  Therein lies great opportunity for 
Turkey as a regional actor, and for US interests in the 
region. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON