President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested on Friday that he would favor the possible candidacy of his predecessor, former President Abdullah Gül, for Parliament.
“The issue of his candidacy is up to Mr. Gül to decide. I had a conversation with him last night, I called him and gave my best wishes for his father, who is ill,” Erdoğan told reporters asking about Gül's possible bid for Parliament. “His decision [to run for Parliament] would be good. It would be for the best. It would be fitting. But the decision is up to him.”
Like Erdoğan, Gül is a co-founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). He left his post as president in August 2014 and was succeeded by Erdoğan, who became the first Turkish president to be elected directly by the people.
Rumors of a rivalry between Erdoğan and Gül emerged when the former president indicated his willingness to return to politics representing the AK Party. The AK Party administration, however, closed the door on Gül, scheduling a party convention that could have been an opportunity for Gül to join the party just a few days before he was due to officially hand over the post to Erdoğan.
Erdoğan's remarks came after a news report claimed that Gül is preparing to return to politics, standing on an AK Party ticket in the parliamentary election slated for June 7. The report, published in the Habertürk newspaper, said Gül and Erdoğan had discussed the issue on the phone and were due to meet in the coming days for further talks.
Gül is expected to run for Parliament for İstanbul instead of Kayseri, his hometown and previous constituency, according to the report, which also said that some third-term AK Party deputies -- who will not be able to run for Parliament again due to a party rule that bans re-election for a fourth time -- insist that Gül return and play an active role in the party administration.
Gül, who has kept a low profile since handing over the presidency to Erdoğan, was photographed shaking hands with AK Party Deputy Chairmen Hüseyin Çelik and Mehmet Ali Şahin outside an İstanbul mosque before the Friday prayer.
"If the president [Gül] wants to become a candidate, he will announce this himself," Çelik told reporters before meeting with Gül. "We would be honored if he has this intention," he added, describing Gül as an AK Party founder and a "very successful and honorable" former president.
Şahin said that his attending the same mosque as Gül was just a "coincidence" when responding to questions from reporters.
Gül did not speak to reporters upon leaving the mosque.
Arınç says issue should be decided with Davutoğlu
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, an AK Party heavyweight, also welcomed the idea of Gül's possible return to the AK Party, although he indicated that the issue should be decided in talks with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who is currently on a visit to New York.
In televised remarks on Friday, Arınç said Erdoğan's statement that apparently gave the green light for Gül's candidacy inspired "hope" and that he would be "glad" if Gül decides to run for Parliament. "The issue of candidacy has not been on the agenda before now. The remarks of the presidents are a [source of] hope. Of course, we should now wait for the return of the prime minister," he said in an interview with NTV television.
How the balance of power in AK Party would change after the return of Gül is a matter of debate. Apparently concerned by prospects that he might replace Davutoğlu, Arınç underlined in the interview that Davutoğlu will remain as prime minister after the June 7 elections but added that Gül should be given a senior position, preferably the largely symbolic post of Parliament speaker.
Gül should not be treated as a normal candidate for Parliament, Arınç said, adding that he should be extended an invitation to join the AK Party should he decide to run for Parliament.
Responding to a question on the possibility of Gül's candidacy, Davutoğlu said on Feb. 19 that both he and Erdoğan were in talks with Gül but that Gül has no "demand" to return to politics. "It is too early to discuss the matter; however, there is no demand [to that effect] and suitable conditions have not yet emerged," Davutoğlu said when asked if he was considering extending an invitation to Gül to stand for Parliament.
On Feb. 26, AK Party spokesman Beşir Atalay dismissed the prospects of Gül's return, saying that based on the former president's own remarks, Gül will not be a candidate.
