Turkish ex-president Gul says not going to run in June election

Turkish ex-president Gul says not going to run in June election

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former President Abdullah Gül will not run in June general election despite invitation by his former Justice and Development Party (AKP) colleagues, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Gül didn’t give a reason for his decision but said: “I will not be a candidate”, according to people close to him.

The former president is about to move into his own house in Istanbul from the Huber Köşk, a presidential facility where he had been living since he left the office.

“I will move in a few days,” he reportedly said.

Gül plans to keep working as a statesman involved in foreign and domestic meetings, the sources said, according to the HDN.

Turkish President Recep Tayiip Erdoğan said last week that it would be “felicitous and propitious” if Gül declared his candidacy to run in the upcoming election scheduled for June 7, as sources said the two founders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would soon meet to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stressed the reputability of Gül among the founders of the party, as well as “fidelity,” noting that he first became acquainted with the former president in the early 1980s.

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