I have one more term after this one, and then I have to retire. I cannot go beyond this, and I won't,” Erdoğan said. Although this surprise statement is reminiscent of the late Turgut Özal's tactic to change the agenda, it is still a very important issue. The possibility that Erdoğan might be quitting politics hasn't crossed many people's minds but rather if he is preparing to become the next president has. According to the prime minister, the last time he will be elected to Parliament is in 2011 and his term will expire in 2015.
The next president is going to be elected by popular vote, a step which is the most important milestone in Turkey's history since Atatürk's death. No event is more important than the ending of a century-old regime of bureaucratic tutelage and the assurance of democratization.
There is still controversy over the expiration of President Abdullah Gül's tenure. If the tenure of the president is seven years, then the next presidential election will be held in 2014 but if it is five years then the next election will be held in 2012 (If the president's tenure is seven years, Gül can't be elected again, but if the tenure is five years, Gül can be elected for a second term). But since Erdoğan can be elected to the parliament for another term he could run for president under both circumstances (of course, that is if God permits, plus I leave it up to the readers to decide on how true such statements and plans on the future of politics are in a country like Turkey).
If the people were not going to be electing the president I would have opposed the idea of Erdoğan leaving his party as chairman. Look at Özal and his party. After he left the Motherland Party (ANAP, now ANAVATAN) as leader to become the president, his party disappeared into history. That party leaders keep the party going is a fact in Turkish politics. But presidential election by popular vote will not have a strong affect on the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) leadership change. Erdoğan's presence will reinforce the position of a new and young leader within the AK Party. But what's more important is that the dynamism needed for a Turkey eager to become a world leader will be found. This phase will be an important step towards a semi and perhaps even a full presidential system.
You may recall that there were people who were against presidents being elected by popular vote. We know that retired former Chief of General Staff İsmail Hakkı Karadayı said: “The public is uneducated. There is nothing more menacing than the public electing the president.” We also know that former president Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the Republican People's Party (CHP) applied to the Constitutional Court to have the amendments to the Constitution annulled.
By a vote of six to five, the Constitution Court rejected the application on July 5, 2007. But CHP leader Deniz Baykal didn't stop and called for a boycott against the referendum slated for Sept. 21, 2007. The participation rate in the referendum was 68 percent of which 69 percent voted yes and 31 percent voted no. There have been critical milestones in Turkey's history after adopting the multi-party system. The first of these milestones was the election of Adnan Menderes as prime minister; the second was Özal's presidency; the third was the election of Erdoğan as prime minister; and the fourth was Gül's presidency. The most important of these is Gül's presidency. It was Özal and Erdoğan who paved the way for him. Özal made the Çankaya palace more civilian-oriented but the Motherland Party betrayed him and abandoned him as president. Gül is lucky because he has the sincere support of the powerful AK Party. Now we are facing another important milestone. The public will be electing the president in the next elections either in the year 2012 or 2014. Do not think that is a long time away. Difficult days are ahead as democracy will be put to the test.
Try looking at the Ergenekon case from this perspective.
Benzer Haberler 
