Abdullah Gül (born
October 29,
1950) is the
11th President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since
28 August 2007. He previously served for five months as
Prime Minister (2002-2003), and as
Foreign Minister from 2003 to 2007.Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's selection of Gül as a presidential candidate drew strong and highly vocal opposition from ardent supporters of
secularism in Turkey. In May 2007, Gül's first bid for presidency was blocked by the Constitutional court in a climate of secularist concern regarding views Gül had expressed during his
Welfare Party years, and the fact that his wife, Hayrünnisa Gül, wears a
hijab, a headscarf, seen by some as a symbol of political Islam. However, following the
parliamentary elections in July the same year, which were won by the
AKP with 46.6% of the popular vote, he was eventually elected President on
August 28,
2007 and was sworn in the same day.
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