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Article: TURKEY - Aug 28 - Victory Of New Turkish President Breaks Grip Of Secularists.(Abdullah Gul)
- Article from:
- APS Diplomat Recorder
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
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A former Islamist is voted in as the new president of Turkey on Aug 28, breaking an 84-year grip on power by the secular establishment, and ushering a new Islamic middle class from Turkey's heartland into the center of the staunchly secular state. Lawmakers approved Abdullah Gul, a 56-year-old economist, with 339 votes, far above the simple majority required in the 550-member Parliament. Two other candidates garnered another 83 votes. The party of the secular establishment boycotted the voting. The vote ended months of political standoff that began when Turkey's secular establishment and military, virulently opposed to his candidacy, blocked it in May, forcing a national ...