Former president Gul rules out mounting a challenge to Erdogan in Turkish elections

Turkey’s former president Abdullah Gul has ruled out running in the country’s elections on June 24.

Yesterday, Mr Gul ended weeks of speculation that he might challenge his once close ally, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the presidential elections.

The former Turkish leader said there had been a lack of consensus among opposition parties over his candidacy. “It was a request by those who trust my political judgment,” Mr Gul said in Istanbul.

“I stated that if a consensus was reached and there was widespread demand from the people, then I would not shy away from doing my part.

“There is no longer the question of my candidacy.”

The June elections will be Turkey’s first since a successful referendum last April in which voters approved a move from a parliamentary system of governance to an executive presidency giving increased powers to the head of state.

Mr Erdogan called for early elections amid a worsening economic climate on April 19, with a view to securing his position in the expanded role.

Opposition leaders raised the prospect of Mr Gul running last week but there were concerns among some senior officials and politicians over his past ties with Mr Erdogan.

Mr Gul said the leader of the conservative Saadet Party, Temel Karamollaoglu, had independently sought to rally supporters behind the former head of state.

Mr Gul was critical of the political and social climate in Turkey as he described big difficulties the country faced domestically and internationally, although he avoided naming Mr Erdogan.

“We are too busy with reciprocal personal attacks and political manoeuvring, rather than what is good for Turkey,” Mr Gul said. “Turkey unfortunately does not have a positive agenda. In this environment, we are heading for elections.”

The outcome was “no surprise”, tweeted Turkey expert Ziya Meral, who said Mr Gul had given up “with no fight, no commitment or desire to show resolve and why he would be different and address issues”.

Mr Gul, a former prime minister and founding member of Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, served as president from 2007 to 2014.

The presidential and parliamentary elections will take place under a state of emergency that has been in place since an attempted coup in July 2016. It was extended by parliament for another three months on April 18.

Mr Erdogan said economic challenges and the war in Syria made it crucial for Turkey to switch quickly to a powerful

executive president. “In a period when developments in Syria accelerated and we have to take very important decisions, from macroeconomic equilibrium to large investments, the election issue should be removed from the agenda as soon as possible,” he said.

The government had previously denied reports it would call early elections, which were not due until November next year.