What Gül is implying

However, some columnists think this does not mean that Gül is without doubt going to run for a second term in office but that he merely wanted to express his resentment at being left out of scenarios for a political formation in the near future.

Gülay Göktürk from Bugün says the interview tells us that Gül was deeply offended and upset by some opinion polls published in newspapers showing the public’s support for Gül to be elected the next president again as very low and by speculation that Gül will either stay out of politics or be an international envoy. However, AK Party Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik spoke about the interview later and said that there is “an unbreakable bond and law of brotherhood” between Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and even if Gül is offended, he still won’t put his candidacy for presidency against Erdoğan. Göktürk says she agrees with the second part of Çelik’s views. However, as for the “unbreakable bond and law of brotherhood,” she says that Erdoğan previously allowing for a law that barred Gül from running for another term, which was later annulled by a top court, was against this bond and law and so expecting Gül to respect this law of brotherhood would be unfair.

Another Bugün columnist, Adem Yavuz Arslan, says a conflict between Erdoğan and Gül over the presidential chair should not be expected as the two men have proven their commitment to each other with many examples in the past. However, Arslan says, as far as he has gathered from his own observations, Gül has always been far more careful when speaking about probable conflicts between him and Erdoğan than some other AK Party members. In this sense, the interview represents a message from Gül saying, “Enough of these disgraceful acts.”

Star’s Fehmi Koru says the interview is simply a test for politicians to see whether they will protect the much-respected position of the presidency. Koru says the presidential position had been a dignified and honorable one until military coups and military tutelage weakened it. However, Gül restored the honorable image of the presidential position and represented it well in the international arena. We should not lose this image, no matter what, he recommends.