Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th
president of Turkey
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...
from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently served as both
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
and as
Foreign Minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
between 2003 and 2007. He is currently a member of the Advisory Panel for the President of the
Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank (, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There are 57 shareholding member st ...
.
Advocating staunch
Islamist political views during his university years, Gül became a
Member of Parliament for
Kayseri
Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
in 1991 and was re-elected in
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
,
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
,
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, and
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
. Initially a member of the Islamist
Welfare Party
The Welfare Party (, RP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal, and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, National Order Party (MNP) and National Salvation Party ...
, Gül joined the
Virtue Party
Virtue Party (, FP) was an Islamist political party established on 17 December 1997 in Turkey. It was found unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and then banned on 22 June 2001 for violating the secularist articles of the Constitution. A ...
in 1998 after the former was banned for anti-secular activities. When the party split into hardline Islamist and modernist factions in 2000, Gül joined fellow party member
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
in advocating the need for reform and moderation. He ran against serving leader
Recai Kutan for the Virtue Party leadership at a time when ErdoÄŸan was banned from holding political office. As the candidate for the modernist camp, he came second with 521 votes while Kutan won 633. He co-founded the moderate
Justice and Development Party (AKP) with ErdoÄŸan in 2001 after the Virtue Party was shut down in the same year, while hardline conservative members founded the
Felicity Party
The Felicity Party (, SAADET) is an Islamism, Islamist Turkey, Turkish political party. It was founded in 2001, and mainly supported by conservative Muslims in Turkey.
It was founded on 20 July 2001 after the Virtue Party (Turkey), Virtue Party ...
instead.
Gül became prime minister after the AKP won a landslide victory in the
2002 general election while ErdoÄŸan was still banned from office.
His government removed ErdoÄŸan's political ban by March 2003, after which ErdoÄŸan became an MP for
Siirt in
a by-election and took over as prime minister. Gül subsequently served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister until 2007. His subsequent bid for the Presidency drew strong and highly vocal opposition from ardent supporters of
secularism in Turkey
In Turkey, secularism or laicism (see ''laïcité'') was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution of 1924, which removed the provision declaring that the "Religion of the State is Islam", and with the later reforms of Turk ...
and was initially blocked by the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
due to concerns over his Islamist political background. He was eventually
elected Turkey's first president with a background in Islamic politics after the
2007 snap general election.
As president, Gül came under criticism for giving assent to controversial laws which have been regarded by the political opposition as
unconstitutional
In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...
. In June 2013, he signed a bill restricting alcohol consumption into law despite initially indicating a possible veto, which was seen as a contributing factor to sparking the
Gezi Park protests. Other controversies included a law tightening internet regulation in 2013, a law increasing political control over the judiciary in 2014 designed to protect then Prime Minister ErdoÄŸan and others from corruption charges and a law giving the
National Intelligence Organization
loction 39°54'25.0"N 32°39'59.3"E
The National Intelligence Organization (), also known by its Turkish language, Turkish initials MIT or MİT, or colloquially as the Organization (), is an intelligence agency of the Turkish government tasked ...
(MİT) controversial new powers also in 2014. Gül took a mediating approach during the Gezi Park anti-government protests
and
government corruption scandals.
Early life, education and early career
Gül was born in
Kayseri
Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
, central
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
on 29 October 1949, the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the modern Turkish nation, also known as
Republic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.
List
January 1 January in Slovak Republic
The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially calle ...
in Turkey. His father is Ahmet Hamdi Gül (1926–2017), a retired air force mechanic whilst his mother is Adviye Satoğlu (born 1931).
Education
Gül studied Economics at
Istanbul University
Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
. During his graduate education, he spent two years (1976–1978) in London and studied at the
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
in the United Kingdom. Returning to Turkey in 1978, he became an instructor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Sakarya University while working on his doctoral research on Turkey's economic relations with other Muslim countries.
He received his PhD from Istanbul University in 1983. Between 1983 and 1991, he worked at the
Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank (, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There are 57 shareholding member st ...
(IDB) in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He was conferred an honorary PhD degree from
Amity University, Noida on 8 February 2009, and a
LL.D from the
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country.
The University of Dhaka w ...
on 13 February 2010.
Entry into politics
Gül became acquainted with politics early during his high school years. During his university education, he became a member of the
Islamist-
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
''Millî Türk Talebe Birliği'' (National Turkish Students' Union) in the line of
Necip Fazıl's ''Büyük Doğu'' (''Grand Orient'') current.
He was elected a member of the
Turkish parliament for the ''Refah Partisi'' (RP, "the
Welfare Party
The Welfare Party (, RP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal, and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, National Order Party (MNP) and National Salvation Party ...
") from the
Kayseri electoral district in 1991 and 1995. During these years, he made statements about the political system of Turkey that was designed by
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...
and the
Turkish National Movement
The Turkish National Movement (), also known as the Anatolian Movement (), the Nationalist Movement (), and the Kemalists (, ''Kemalciler'' or ''Kemalistler''), included political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resu ...
, which included "This is the end of the republican period" and "The secular system has failed and we definitely want to change it". These statements caused controversy when his candidacy for the 2007 presidential election was announced by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
.
In 1999, he kept his seat as a member of the ''Fazilet Partisi'' (FP, "the
Virtue Party
Virtue Party (, FP) was an Islamist political party established on 17 December 1997 in Turkey. It was found unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and then banned on 22 June 2001 for violating the secularist articles of the Constitution. A ...
") which was subsequently outlawed by the Constitutional Court for its violation of the Constitution. Its predecessor, the ''Refah Partisi'', was also outlawed by the Constitutional Court for its violation of the Constitution, especially the principle of secularism. By this time, Gül had apparently moderated his views and was reportedly considered to be part of the Virtue Party's reformist faction. Since 1993 in Ankara, he had been organizing an informal think-tank involving a group of Refah politicians who were discontented with the leadership of Necmettin Erbakan: these included Melih Gökçek, Bülent Arınç, Abdüllatif Şener, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Beşir Atalay. In August 2001, this group founded the ''Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi'' (
Justice and Development Party), a party which billed itself as a moderate conservative party in the European tradition. He was elected once again to represent Kayseri in 2002.
An interview he gave in 2002 summarizes his criticisms of the ''Refah Partisi'' under the leadership of Necmettin Erbakan and his portrayal of the AKP as a moderate party:
In the Welfare Party, there were groups demanding sharia rule. Welfare did not represent the local values we are now cultivating. The ideology of the party was partially shaped by alien imports. e was referring to the impact of the Islamist ideology of the Iranian Revolution and Arab states on Welfare's ideology.Our vision was at odds with the rest of the party. The despotic rule of Erbakan Hoca made it impossible for us to realize our vision under the rubric of the National View. We believe that modernization and being Muslim complement each other. We accept the modern values of liberalism, human rights, and market economy.
Prime minister
After the
Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the most votes in the
November 2002 general election, Gül was appointed
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, as AKP leader
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
was still banned from participating in politics. After Gül's government secured legislation allowing Erdoğan's return to politics, the latter took over as prime minister on 14 March 2003. Gül was appointed deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
Foreign minister
After becoming
foreign minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
in March 2003, Gül became the key player in Turkey's attempts to receive an accession date for the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
and in its attempts to improve relations with
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
and maintaining its relationship with the
Turkic-speaking countries of Central Asia and the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
. On 8 January 2008, Gül flew to the United States to meet with U.S. President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...
.
Presidency (2007–2014)
Prime Minister
Erdoğan announced on 24 April 2007 that Gül would be the Justice and Development Party candidate in the
2007 presidential election. Previously, there had been speculation that ErdoÄŸan himself would be the party's candidate, which had provoked substantial opposition from secularists.
["Turkey 'must have secular leader'"](_blank)
, ''BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
'', 24 April 2007. When a boycott of opposition parties in Parliament deadlocked the election process, Gül formally withdrew his candidacy on 6 May 2007. If elected he would be the first president to have been involved with Islamist parties. But a few days later, on 11 May 2007 when he inquired after the alterations to the
Turkish constitution which now allowed the people to elect the president directly rather than a parliamentary vote, Gül announced that he was still intending to run.
Following the
July 2007 parliamentary election, the AKP renominated Gül as its presidential candidate on 13 August; the election was again held as a vote of parliament. On 14 August, Gül submitted his candidacy application to parliament and expressed his commitment to secularism at a news conference.
On 28 August 2007, he was elected president in the third round of voting; in the first two rounds, a two-thirds majority of MPs had been required, but in the third round he needed only a simple majority. Gül was sworn in immediately thereafter. The process was a very low-key affair.
Gül's swearing-in was not attended by the
Chief of the Turkish General Staff and was boycotted by the opposition
Republican People's Party
The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...
; then the hand-over of power at the presidential palace was held behind closed doors. Gül's wife was not present. The traditional evening reception hosted by the new president at the presidential palace for the country's highest authorities was announced for 11:30 in the morning and wives were not invited.
His presidency was described as a "new era in Turkish politics", for being the first president of Turkey with a background in Islamic politics.
Gül received messages of congratulation from the US, EU and German authorities while Turkey's prime minister
Tayyip ErdoÄŸan made a statement saying "a structure doomed to uncertainty has been overcome".
In September 2008 Gül became the first Turkish leader to visit
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
where, in meetings with President Serzh Sarkisian, the two leaders formulated a solution to the tendentious problem of the genocide question, sparking a major debate in Turkey, but both the Armenian and Turkish parliaments refused to ratify the agreement. In November 2011, President Gül led a state visit to the United Kingdom as a guest of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
. The President met political and business leaders, visited the
Olympic Park and was guest of honor at a state banquet at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
.
In November 2013, Gül called on Muslim countries to fight against what he called Islamophobia during his address at the 29th session of the
COMCEC in Istanbul. He said:
Islamophobia remains a critical problem, which instigates unsubstantial prejudices against our region and Muslims. Terror plays a role in the persistence of such problems. We have to combat any form of deviation playing into the hands of people who equate terrorism with Islam, the religion of love, tolerance and conciliation.
After leaving the office
After leaving the office former president kept political silence, focusing mainly upon social and cultural issues, as well as charity. He had not announced his political judgements or expressed political support to any Turkish party or politician. However, amid an outbreak of political crysis and
massive protests, caused by incarceration of
Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu allegedly initiated by the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Abdullah Gül expressed his support to the former, stating: "Let us remember how the public conscience did not accept the injustices that were once committed against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and me. Such mistakes should not be made against Ekrem Imamoglu, who was elected mayor by the people."
Statements on the Middle East
After the
Israeli interdiction on the
MV ''Mavi Marmara'' in 2010, when crewmebers attacked an Israeli naval boarding party, he advocated the complete ending of diplomatic relations with Israel, stating that "Israel will turn into a complete apartheid regime in the next 50 years if it does not allow for the establishment of an independent and proud Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem. That is why we are exerting efforts to achieve a fair peace with a strategic point of view, which is to Israel's own interests."
On 31 December 2012, he stated with respect to the
Arab spring
The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...
and democratization of the Arab world: "But democracy is not only about elections. The task of creating essential democratic institutions – the rule of law, habits of accountability, gender equality, and freedom of expression and faith – still awaits these countries".
History of titles
* 1949–1983: Abdullah Gül
* 1983–1991: Dr. Abdullah Gül
* 1991–1996:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül,
MP
* 1996–1997: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül,
Minister of State of Turkey
* 2002: ''
His Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
'' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül,
Prime Minister of Turkey
The prime minister of Turkey, officially the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey (), was the head of government of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey from 1920 to 2018, who led a political coalition in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Tu ...
* 2002–2007: ''His Excellency'' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül,
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
and
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
* 2007–2014: ''His Excellency'' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül,
President of the Republic of Turkey
Honors and medals
National honors
Foreign honors
See also
*
Çankaya Köşkü
*
List of presidential trips made by Abdullah Gül
*
Abdullah Gül University
*
Abdullah Gül Interchange
References
External links
Presidency of the Republic of TurkeyAbdullah Gul News Index* https://twitter.com/cbabdullahgul
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gul, Abdullah
1950 births
Living people
21st-century prime ministers of Turkey
21st-century presidents of Turkey
Alumni of the University of Exeter
Deputy prime ministers of Turkey
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Justice and Development Party (Turkey) politicians
Istanbul University alumni
Ministers of foreign affairs of Turkey
People from Kayseri
Recipients of the Heydar Aliyev Order
Turkish Sunni Muslims
Virtue Party politicians
Welfare Party politicians
Grand Collars of the Order of Prince Henry
Grand Crosses with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil)
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Recipients of the Order of Valour
Recipients of St. George's Order of Victory
Members of the 23rd Parliament of Turkey
Members of the 22nd Parliament of Turkey
Members of the 21st Parliament of Turkey
Members of the 20th Parliament of Turkey
Members of the 54th government of Turkey
Ministers of state of Turkey