The Justice and Development (AK) Party which won a landslide victory in the July 22 elections feels it now has the backing of the nation to push for the election of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as president.

It was the fight to get Gul elected as president that resulted in early elections after the opposition and the military challenged the AK Party government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

AK Party based its elections campaign on the fact that it had been denied the presidency in a very unjust manner through a plot staged jointly by the military, the president, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the judiciary.

Both Erdogan and Gul have told rally crowds across the country that Gul won more votes than past president late Turgut Ozal, Suleyman Demirel and Ahmet Necdet Sezer but he was still denied the presidency.

The secularist elite of Turkey say they do not want to see a president with Islamic roots take up the presidency.

However, AK Party now argues that the elections results have confirmed it as the center right party of Turkey crowning it with 46.6 percent national support in an election that was marked with a high turnout of 85 percent. This means the AK Party should be able to shed its image as a party with Islamic roots.

Jubilant crowds celebrating the elections victory outside the AK Party headquarters on the night of July 22
Emboldened with the elections victory AK Party leaders now feel they can challenge all their adversaries with a new bid to have Gul elected as president.

Gul told a press conference in Ankara that he cannot turn a blind eye to the calls of the rally crowds for him to become president. This was regarded as Gul declaring his candidacy for head of state in the upcoming presidential elections.

Prime Minister Erdogan has said before the elections that AK Party is ready for compromise in the elections of the president but on its own terms. But now with the sweeping elections victory AK Party feels it can elect the new president provided opposition deputies enter the election rounds.

The Republican People's Party (CHP) which suffered a defeat in the elections says it still opposes Gul and will stay away from the Parliament.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has taken a "wait and see" approach on whether it should back Gul but Bahceli has said the MHP will participate in the election rounds for the presidency and thus will not at least block the election of the new president.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Left Party deputies who were elected from the CHP ticket will break ranks and will attend the parliamentary rounds but will not vote in favor of Gul. The independent Kurds have said they will back Gul.

Ruling party sources say they are ready to take on the military which has opposed an AK Party member as president. They say there is a point where everyone has to accept the verdict of the people and respect national will.
The military challenged Gul's candidacy with a memorandum on April 27 which observers say backfired and boosted AK Party votes.

Mehmet Agar the leader of the center right Democrat Party (DP) who lost the elections and resigned said the nation did not forgive the DP deputies who did not participate in the presidential election rounds.
Erdogan has voiced his all out support for Gul and said it is up to his friend and confidant to decide on his presidential aspirations.