The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) put forward Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül as its presidential candidate on 25 April 2007. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, widely expected to seek the post himself, announced the choice and cited unfinished government business as his reason for stepping aside. Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç, who had pressed the party to nominate one of its own senior figures, was credited with steering Erdoğan toward Gül.
The first round of parliamentary voting was set for 27 April, with additional rounds on 2 May, 9 May, and 15 May if needed. Gül, born on 29 October, would become Türkiye's 11th president if elected. His wife Hayrunnisa would be the first presidential spouse to wear a headscarf, drawing both congratulations and controversy. Gül pledged fidelity to constitutional principles and said of the headscarf matter that it was "a personal choice and it should be respected." The military's deputy chief of staff, Gen. Ergin Saygun, signaled institutional reservations in carefully worded remarks without naming Gül directly.
Business leaders welcomed the nomination, while a civic group calling itself the "6 p.m. Initiative" announced daily protests outside Çankaya Presidential Palace. Separately, groundbreaking was held in Adana for the Trans-Anatolia Crude Oil Pipeline, a Samsun-to-Ceyhan project intended to ease tanker traffic through the Turkish straits.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in April 2007, in its own words.