The disagreement mainly stems from a legislative reform package that was approved by Parliament after the election of Gül to the presidency in 2007. The package includes changes in terms for the president and deputies, shortening parliamentary terms from five years to four and reducing the presidential tenure from seven years to five. Presidents will also be able to run for a second term in office. It seems the ambiguity over Gül’s term will not be eliminated without Parliament taking steps to end the controversy.Questioning who will solve the controversy surrounding Gül’s term, politicians or the judiciary, Zaman’s Mustafa Ünal thinks the judiciary should have the final say on the issue. “It is the jurists’ responsibility to assess the case and reach a verdict. It is obvious that the Supreme Election Board [YSK] should address the problem,” he says. In his view, although Gül’s presidential term is not an issue for today, political parties, particularly the opposition parties, see it as part of their strategy for the next presidential election. He says it is possible to observe that the opposition parties are developing plans with the expectation that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will run for the presidency in 2012, so he will be in conflict with President Gül, but he notes that neither Erdoğan nor Gül have given any signs so far about their intention to run. Looking at today’s heated debates and bickering over them, Ünal says it is obvious even today that the presidential elections of 2012 will be very tough. “A legal dispute over the presidential term is being headedly debated. It wouldn’t be surprising if the same circles start another debate tomorrow rejecting the election of the president by popular vote for the ‘safety’ of the regime,” he says.
Although Milliyet’s Taha Akyol thinks Gül’s term is seven years, he says this is not easy politically since remaining in the presidential office for seven years in a country where political tension is so high seems very challenging. Referring to a comment made by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal that “Gül’s term is five years. That’s it,” he says this does not mean anything in legal terms because only a judicial body can put an end to a judicial dispute. Akyol also does not find it right to refer the issue to the YSK and let the ambiguity over the issue linger; he suggests that Parliament immediately work on an amendment, taking Gül’s view into consideration, that will clarify the president’s term.
Star’s Şamil Tayyar says if Gül stays in Çankaya for seven years, he will leave office in 2014 and will not run for the position again, but if he stays there for five years, there will be the prospect of his running for the position for a second time. “If he stays there for seven years, the problem will be solved. If he stays there for five years, Gül’s re-nomination will be in question. I do not know whether Gül will run for the position again. If he has such an intention, this would be a just intention and his right. My personal view is that he should re-run for the position,” says Tayyar.
