Secularism in Turkey

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the 12th president of the Turkish Republic on Aug. 28 with three ceremonies in Ankara.

It is not only President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who is going to reshape his Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) before he leaves the job on Aug. 28. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the social democratic main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also wants to reshape his party by replacing its old guard with new and active young warriors.

More than 20 years ago, I was antagonizing my secularist friends on the matter of religious freedoms. I was discussing the shortcomings of the Kemalist regime with “the old-fashioned Republicans” in the name of democracy.

The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

We now know the presidential candidates.

I have to say it in advance, none of the three suit me.

If you say “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan...”

He has got himself so stuck with his 50 percent that there is no way in the world for him to be the president of 100 percent.

If you say “Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu...”

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has announced he will not stand to be re-elected for another seven years on August 10.

“I will not present my candidacy. I already told this to [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan before the March 30 [local elections]. My office will end on August 28,” Hurriyet Daily News quoted him as saying.

It is not clear yet how two Turkish political leaders belonging to different ideologies have come up with a third name with a totally different ideology, but with no political background as their Presidential candidate against Turkey’s powerful prime minister. But it has already altered, rather shifted the mathematics of Turkish politics.

The Republican People’s Party’s presidential nominee Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu starts a debate within the party, with some claiming that he does not represent the party’s authentic worldview

Turkey's main opposition leader has vowed in Germany on June 7 that his party will abolish the laws when it comes to power to prevent an "intelligence state."

The Turkey of today, honestly speaking, is a depressing country. The political scene is madly polarized, and the language of hate and vengeance dominates the public scene. Certain civil liberties are shrinking and there is a visible political tendency to diminish them even more.