Türkiye and France are each scheduled to hold presidential elections in 2007 at roughly the same time, yet the two processes differ fundamentally: French voters will go to the polls directly, while in Türkiye the Parliament will cast the deciding vote.
Campaigning is already under way in France. In Türkiye, the ruling party's leadership will shape the field of candidates rather than the public at large.
Constitutional Court head Tulay Tugcu has emerged as one potential candidate, a possibility first raised publicly by opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) member Mustafa Ozyurek. In a recent interview with a women's rights periodical, Tugcu distanced herself from any party affiliation, saying such associations would compromise her neutrality, though she stopped short of ruling out a candidacy entirely.
Columnist Erdal Safak notes that a woman is fully eligible to serve as president of Türkiye and views that prospect positively. He argues, however, that Tugcu's name is circulating because of her role as Constitutional Court head, not her gender.
Safak also raises a broader institutional concern: he believes the presidency should ordinarily be filled by a sitting member of Parliament, with outside candidates considered only in exceptional circumstances.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.