The Republic Protests () were a series of peaceful mass rallies that took place in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in 2007 in support of a strict principle of

state secularism is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religio ...

. The first rally took place in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

on 14 April 2007, just two days before the start of the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

process. The second one took place in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

on 29 April. The third and fourth rallies took place consecutively in

Manisa Manisa () is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province, lying approximately 40 km northeast of the major city of İzmir. The city forms the urban part of the districts Şehzadeler and Yunusemre, with ...

and

Çanakkale Çanakkale is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. It is the seat of Çanakkale Province and Çanakkale District. The fifth rally took place in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

on 13 May. The number of people gathering for the first protest in front of

Anıtkabir Anıtkabir (; ) is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and ...

, the mausoleum of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

in Ankara, was cited as ranging from "hundreds of thousands" to 1.5 million people. In the second protest, more than one million people gathered for the protests in Çağlayan square,

according to AFP and

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

. The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

reported hundreds of thousands of people. Over one million people reportedly participated in the fifth rally.

Antecedent

Turkey's preservation and maintenance of its

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

identity has been an issue and source of tension long before the demonstration. In the past, Prime Minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

has spoken out against the active restrictions on wearing the Islamic-style head scarves in government offices and schools, and taken steps to bolster religious institutions. According to the Guardian Unlimited, Erdoğan showed his Islamist nature when he initiated a move in 2004 to criminalize

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

, which eventually failed under intense pressure from the secularist forces in the country and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, which Turkey has been trying to join. General

Yaşar Büyükanıt General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt (1 September 1940 – 21 November 2019) was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008. Biography General Yaşar Büyükanıt was born in Is ...

Chief of the Turkish General Staff The Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces () is the chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (). He is appointed by the President of Turkey, who is the commander-in-chief. The position dates to the period of the ...

, warned against Islamic fundamentalism in October 2006. Prime Minister Erdoğan replied that there was no such threat. In a press conference two days prior to the demonstration, Büyükanıt stated: "We hope that someone is elected president who is loyal to the principles of the republic — not just in words but in essence." This statement was widely interpreted as a hint from the General urging Erdoğan not to run. The serving president,

Ahmet Necdet Sezer Ahmet Necdet Sezer (; born 13 September 1941) is a Turkish statesman and judge who served as the tenth president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Previously, he was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from January 1998 to May 2000. The ...

, aimed a clear swipe at Erdoğan the day before the demonstrations by stating, "The threat which

Islamic fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a revivalist and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. The term has been used interchangeably with similar terms such as Islamism, Islamic revivalism, Qut ...

poses to the country is higher than ever." Although the post is mainly ceremonial, the Turkish president has the power to veto laws if he holds them to be in violation of the

Constitution of Turkey The Constitution of Turkey, formally known as the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye (), and informally as the Constitution of 1982 (), is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government, and sets out the pr ...

, as well as to veto appointments to the highest positions of the state administration, such as the presidencies of universities and many public institutions. Sezer, a former chief of the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

, did so many times during his years in office. In a recent poll by

Hürriyet ''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' combines entertainment with news coverage and ...

, a majority of the participants agreed with the president's assessment. On April 24, foreign minister

Abdullah Gül Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th president of Turkey from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister of Turkey, Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently s ...

was announced as the official candidate of

Justice and Development Party Justice and Development Party may refer to several political parties, the best-known ones being: * Justice and Development Party (Morocco) * Justice and Development Party (Turkey) Justice and Development Party may also refer to: * Justice and Dev ...

, by Erdoğan. His candidacy was controversial from the beginning due to his background of two proscribed Islamic political parties, and his statement "We want to change the secular system", in an interview published by

the Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

in 1995. Nevertheless, additional concerns were also present, including the effect of the hijab-style clothing of his spouse on Turkey's image, who previously filed a case against Turkey for the ban in the public buildings.

First rally (Tandoğan, Ankara)

On 14 April the first protest took place in Tandoğan square in Ankara. The number of people gathering in front of

, the mausoleum of

in Ankara, was cited as ranging from "hundreds of thousands" to 1.5 million people. The first protest was one of the largest that

had seen in years until then. The target of the first protest was the possible

presidential Presidential may refer to: * "Presidential" (song), a 2005 song by YoungBloodZ * Presidential Airways (charter), an American charter airline based in Florida * Presidential Airways (scheduled), an American passenger airline active in the 1980s * ...

candidacy of the then

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(the outcome of which will be determined by the

Turkish Grand National Assembly The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

(unless the recent modifications on the constitution become ratified on time), in which Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) has a healthy majority). Erdoğan decided not to run for president after the rally. The slogan of the protest was Claim Your Republic (). According to the Ministry of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, who administer

, 370,000 people visited the monument on that day, but eyewitness accounts from those who participated say that at least twice that amount was not able to enter the crowded grounds (see photo). Police announcements gave conflicting numbers ranging from about 70,000 to 150,000 participants which was criticized among police officials themselves stating "such announcements hurt the credibility of the department."

CNN Türk Cable News Network Türk (known as CNN Türk) is a Turkish free-to-air television news channel, launched on 11 October 1999 as the local affiliate of American channel CNN. It broadcasts exclusively for Turkey and it is owned by Demirören Grou ...

spoke of more than 650,000 at the meeting. The demonstrators had different motives, including the suspicion that Erdoğan, who is thought to be attached to political Islam, will alter the

secular state is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of relig ...

. Erdoğan's government denies having an Islamic agenda, but according to

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, some critics argue that the government is inching the country towards increased religious rule. Erdoğan has had run-ins with the law in the past: He was tried and convicted for "inciting religious hatred" and had consequently served a four-month jail term in 2000 while he was the Mayor of

, Turkey's most populous city. According to the Guardian Unlimited, the pro-Islamic prime minister's party has been eroding secularists' longtime grip on power. The protest was initiated by the " Atatürk Thought Association" () and supported by around 300

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s in Turkey. First some 60,000 people who travelled from all over Turkey by bus arrived to the protest in the early hours of Saturday, 14 April. People travelled by train and the residents of Ankara joined the protest overfilling Tandoğan Square and the nearby streets two hours before the official beginning. Among the protesters were also leaders of the opposition parties,

Deniz Baykal Deniz Baykal (20 July 1938 – 11 February 2023) was a Turkish politician. A member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. Having served in numerous governmen ...

( CHP),

Zeki Sezer Mehmet Zeki Sezer (born 12 April 1957) is a Turkish politician and former chairman of the Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti, DSP), he was elected in the 6th ordinary party congress in 2004 after the resignation of Bülent Ecevit. Ea ...

(

DSP DSP may refer to: Computing * Digital signal processing, the mathematical manipulation of an information signal * Digital signal processor, a microprocessor designed for digital signal processing * Dynamic Reconfiguration port * Yamaha DSP-1 ...

) and some professors of various universities wearing

academic regalia Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary (and sometimes secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or similar), or hold a status that entitles them to assum ...

. Protesters, waving the

Turkish flag The national flag of Turkey, officially the Turkish flag (), is a red flag featuring a white crescent and star on its emblem, based on the 18th-century Ottoman Empire flag. The flag is often called "the red flag" (), and is referred to as "the ...

and carrying banners depicting Atatürk, chanted "Turkey is secular and will remain secular" () and "We don't want an

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

as president!" (). The demonstration in downtown Ankara ended at 13:00 local time (10:00 GMT). Afterwards, the crowd marched to the Anıtkabir to pay their respect to the founder of the republic. During the demonstrations, flight above Tandoğan Square and Anıtkabir was banned. Twelve ambulances and eleven police APCs were kept at standby in the surrounding streets. A contingent of 10,000 police officers watched over the crowd, but the demonstration ended peacefully. Although the demonstrations received international media attention,

all but one (

Kanal Türk Kanal may refer to: * Kanal (unit), a unit of area equivalent to one-eighth of an acre, used in northern India and Pakistan * ''Kanał'', a 1956 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda * ''Kanal'' (1979 film), a 1979 Turkish film * ''Kanal'' (2015 ...

) of the local networks gave the demonstrations very little coverage.

Habertürk ''Habertürk'' (), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on 1 March 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July 2018. The newspaper s ...

director Melih Meriç said the lack of local coverage is because of political pressure.

Aftermath

On 16 April in an interview en route to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on board the prime minister's jet, Erdoğan said that the demonstration would not affect his decisions (at the time he had not yet decided whether to run).

Bülent Arınç Bülent Arınç (; born 25 May 1948) is a conservative Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007 and as a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey between 2009 and 2015. He also co-founded the Just ...

, Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, commented that "they will elect a civilian, democratic and religious president". He also said that "not the regime but the power of the backers of

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

was in danger". In response to the protests Eyüp Fatsa, AKP group chief representative, stated that "if they KPdecided to hold such a demonstration they could gather ten times as many people" and that the parliament does not decide based on crowd gatherings. A

article that appeared in the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

stated that if Erdoğan became president, Turkey would face its greatest political crisis since the creation of the

Turkish Republic Turkish Republic may refer to: * Turkey, archaically the "Turkish Republic" * Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the ...

in 1923, noting the intricate connections between the secular elites and the army, and that the Chief of the Turkish Armed Forces had warned people of the danger threatening Turkish secularism. The article also reported that the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

, the main opposition party, have declared their intention to leave the parliament and ask the

to cancel Erdoğan's running in the elections. On 18 April

Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ (born 1965)TUSIAD Elects New C ...

, the president of the Association of Turkish Businessman and Industrialists (

TÜSİAD TÜSİAD, the Turkish Industry and Business Association (), is Turkey's top business organization. Founded in 1971, TÜSİAD is a voluntary, independent, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting public welfare through private enterpris ...

), stated that she felt Erdoğan would not stand as a candidate in the presidential election. On 24 April after these weeks of debate over who would run for the presidency, foreign minister

was put forward as the only candidate. Jonathan Rugman, a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

reporter in Turkey for the Guardian, had published an article on 27 November 1995 following an interview with Abdullah Gül, who was then a member of the Welfare Party and made remarks such as "the Republican Era is over" . Immediately following the announcement, a group of 14 people was arrested for gathering to protest his candidacy in front of the

Çankaya Palace Çankaya may refer to: * Çankaya District, a district and municipality of Ankara Province, Turkey * Çankaya, Ankara (neighbourhood), a neighbourhood in Çankaya District, Ankara Province, Turkey * Çankaya, İzmir, a neighbourhood in Konak dist ...

(the presidential complex). After the arrest, smaller groups also gathered, chanting "if carrying the Turkish flag is a crime, take us too" (). Drivers passing by reportedly showed support by waving flags from their cars. A similar protest took place in Kuğulu park. When asked about this at a reception,

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Ergin Saygun responded by quoting the 12 April speech of

. When further inquired what he thought about the new commander-in-chief's wife having an Islamic headscarf, Saygun replied by saying that the answer to the question was inside it. On 25 April when inquired about his wife's Islamic headscarf, Gül responded by saying his wife's decision should be respected and treated as a personal right. The same day there was an assassination attempt on the

YÖK The Council of Higher Education (, YÖK; also translated as ''Higher Education Board'') is responsible for the supervision of universities in Turkey, in a capacity defined by article 130 of the 1982 constitution. The current president of the cou ...

president Dr. Erdoğan Teziç who is known for his secularist remarks. Three rounds were fired by a 30-year-old man identified as Nurullah İlgün. İlgün was arrested the same day. On 27 April, with only 353 parliamentarians present, the AKP failed to achieve a quorum of 367, and Gül's candidacy failed at the first round despite a majority of those present voting in favour. Due to the lack of necessary participation and several alleged violations of the constitution, the vote was taken to the constitutional court to be discussed over the weekend.
Later the same day the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

released a statement warning that they are a party to this debate and the absolute defender of secularism, and that when necessary they would display their attitudes and actions very clearly. This led to an increase in tensions between the AKP and the Turkish Armed Forces.

Second rally (Çağlayan, Istanbul)

On 29 April a second rally was organized to start at 13:00 local time. Hundreds of thousands to more than one million gathered for the second protest at

Abide-i Hürriyet The Monument of Liberty (; ), in the Şişli-Mecidiyeköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, is a memorial in honour of the soldiers killed defending the General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Parliament against rebel forces during the 31 Marc ...

(Monument of Liberty) in Çağlayan square in Istanbul in support of

secularism in Turkey In Turkey, secularism or laicism (see ''laïcité'') was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution of 1924, which removed the provision declaring that the "Religion of the State is Islam", and with the later reforms of Turk ...

and against the candidacy of

in the

2007 presidential election This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto list of sovereign states, sovereign states and their list of dependent territories, dependent territories. Referendums are included ...

. The rally was organised by ''Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği'' (Association in Support of Contemporary Living), ''Cumhuriyet Kadınları Derneği'' (Association of Republic's Women), and other women's

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

's. At 15:22, mobile phone base stations were overloaded. Mobile phones in and around Çağlayan became inoperable. At 15:30,

Tuncay Özkan Ahmet Tuncay Özkan (born 14 August 1966) is a Turkish journalist, writer and politician. He was arrested on September 27, 2008, in relation to the odatv case of the Ergenekon trials, and in August 2013 he was sentenced to aggravated life impri ...

, owner of Kanaltürk, displayed a video of several statements by the then prime minister Erdoğan to the square full of protesters. These statements were: *1993 - One can't be a

and a Muslim at the same time! () *1997 - Will this democracy be the goal or the tool? () *2000 - Mr. Öcalan is paying the price for the heads he had taken, not for his ideas. () *:

Abdullah Öcalan Abdullah Öcalan ( ; ; born 4 April 1948 or 1949), also known as Apo (short for Abdullah in Turkish; Kurdish for "uncle"), is a founding member of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Öcalan was based in Syria from 1979 to 1998. He ...

is the leader of the armed militant group

Kurdistan Workers Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurdish militant political organization and armed gu ...

(PKK) which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the

, and the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. *2005 - The thing that unites us is the "upper identity." () *2006 - I vouch for Yassin al-Qadi. () *:Yassin al-Qadi was allegedly among the people who financially supported September 11, 2001 attacks *2006 - Go and take your mother with you! () *:Comment was directed at a farmer in

Mersin Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...

asking for government assistance *2006 - Your child can also be unemployed, why do we care?! () *:Comment was directed at an unemployed individual asking for government assistance *2007 - Embarked forces of eighty-one provinces... () *:Referring to the previous protest in Tandoğan At 16:00 the speeches ended and the crowds began to disperse. At 16:30 the protests officially ended without incident.

Aftermath

On April 30, the Turkish Prime Minister

Tayyip Erdoğan Tayyip () is a Turkish given name for males. Tayyip may refer to: * Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 1954), Turkish politician, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey from 2003 to 2014, and current President of Turkey since 2014 *Tayyip Talha Sa ...

told he would address the country amid the crisis over the presidential election that has pitted secularists, including the army, against his

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ist-rooted government. On May 1 in his public address Prime Minister Erdoğan called for unity. He said: "Unity, togetherness, solidarity, these are the things we need most. We can overcome many problems so long as we treat each other with love,¨ he also said: "Turkey is growing and developing very fast ... We must protect this atmosphere of stability and tranquility,¨ On May 2 the

Constitutional Court of Turkey The Constitutional Court of Turkey ( Turkish: ''Anayasa Mahkemesi'', sometimes abbreviated as ''AYM'') is the highest legal body for constitutional review in Turkey. It "examines the constitutionality, in respect of both form and substance, of law ...

ruled (9-2) that the first round of the presidential elections as void due to insufficient participation.

Haşim Kılıç Haşim Kılıç (; born 13 March 1950, in Çiçekdağı, Kırşehir) is a Turkish former high-ranking judge, who served as President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from 22 October 2007 until 10 February 2015. Biography Kılıç was born i ...

and Sacit Adalı were the only two Constitutional court members who voted against this. Former presidential candidate Abdullah Gül stated that an election should be held as soon as possible and the people should elect the president directly. Erdoğan announced that there would be an early election on 24 June or 1 July. Erdoğan said that the constitutional court decision was a bullet to democracy. Late that night Sabih Kanadoğlu, a former justice in Turkish High Court of Appeals, objected the early vote and argued that it was unconstitutional. He also claimed that these attempts to maneuver around the law would lead to further crisis. Kanadoğlu was also the person who pointed out the "367 parliamentarian requirement" law. A new controversy arose with the approaching end of term of the current president Sezer on 16 May. Speaker of the Parliament

stated that the current president "would have to unfortunately retire" which would make Arınç the proxy president until a president is elected. However lawmakers argue that the current president would continue to serve until a replacement is elected. On May 3 Turkey's Parliament moved up elections to July 22, 2007, after the

ic-rooted ruling party and its secular opposition agreed that an early ballot was the only way out of their standoff over political Islam. On May 4 the election calendar for the early election has been put forward. A total of 21 political parties have registered to run for the election. A

CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...

QuickVote resulted in 24% Yes vs 76% No on a question whether or not the Turkish democracy was hurt by the warning of the Turkish military.

Third (Sultan, Manisa) and Fourth (Cumhuriyet, Çanakkale) rallies

On May 5 two rallies took place consecutively in

and in

member of AKP and current speaker of the Turkish parliament. The rally in Çanakkale started at 13:30 with an estimated participation of 25,000 people. A contingent of 400 police officers watched over the crowd.

Aftermath

On 6 May Gül announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy right after a second vote which also failed because the parliamentary session did not achieve the 367-member quorum. On 7 May an amendment to the Turkish constitution, allowing the president to be elected directly by the people rather than by a parliamentary vote, was passed by 350 votes to 56. Founder of Borusan Holding

Asım Kocabıyık Asem (also spelled Aasem, Assem, Asim, Aasim, Assim ') is a male given name of Arabic origin, which means "savior, protector, guardian, defender." Asem is also a female given name of Kazakh origin, which means "beauty, beautiful, refined, gracef ...

stated that if the AKP gained 50% popular support in the upcoming general elections the country would be lost. On 8 May a request by the

Young Party The Young Party (, GP) is a populist political party in Turkey. The chairperson of GENÇPARTİ is Burçin Şahindur. History 2002 elections Cem Uzan entered politics 90 days before the 2002 elections. Young Party was not eligible to enter t ...

() to move the date for the early election to an earlier date of 22 June was declined. On 9 May president Sezer implied that he would veto amendments to the Turkish constitution, stating that the amendments had been passed at a very heated time. The

raised a similar objection. Foreign (non-Turkish) press also reported the expectation of a presidential veto on the AKP's recent amendments to the Turkish constitution. On 10 May further amendments to the Turkish constitution were officially passed by parliament, 376 to 1. According to the amendments, general elections will be carried out every four years rather than five. The president will now serve a maximum of two five-year terms instead of an unrestricted number of seven-year terms. The president will now be elected by the people rather than the parliament. President Sezer has 15 days to review the amendments and decide whether or not to veto and return the amendments to the parliament. On 11 May when asked about the amendments to the Turkish constitution, which now allow the president to be elected directly by the people rather than by a parliamentary vote, Gül announced that his candidacy is ongoing, despite stating on 6 May that he had withdrawn his candidacy. YÖK president Dr.

Erdoğan Teziç Erdoğan Teziç (1936 – 23 April 2017) was a Turkish academic in constitutional law. Early life He was born in Istanbul. He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1955 and Law school of Istanbul University in 1959. He traveled to Paris, Fra ...

, who survived an assassination attempt on 25 April 2007 criticized the AKP heavily, stating that they do not just seek political power but also increased government power and also are trying to use YÖK to this end. On 12 May a bomb placed on a bicycle was detonated in a market in İzmir wounding fifteen people just a day before the scheduled "republic protest" in the city. One of the wounded was in a critical condition and later died in the hospital while most of the others were lightly wounded and were released from the hospital the same day. No one claimed responsibility for the bombing. A second abandoned bicycle caused some panic but it was later determined that it was harmless.

Fifth rally (Gündoğdu, İzmir)

On May 13 a fifth rally took place in Gündoğdu square,

. Reportedly over one million people gathered in İzmir for the rally to demand their country remain a

, stepping up pressure on the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) government before July elections. The municipal harbor officials confirmed that just the number of citizens traveling by public ferry to the event site numbered over 350,000. Leaders of the three leftist parties, namely

of the CHP,

of DSP, and

Murat Karayalçın Murat Karayalçın (born 26 October 1943) is a prominent Turkish politician. He is a former foreign minister (1994–1995), deputy prime minister, and a former mayor of Ankara (1989–1993). He is the founder (in 2002) of the new SHP. Of Hamshe ...

of SHP were also among the demonstrators. Security for the event was tightened with 5,000 police officers watching over the rally.

Slogans from the rallies

* e demandneither sharia, nor a coup, but a totally independent Turkey. () *:Referring to the statement by the Turkish Armed Forces with "coup" reference. *:Referring to the roots of Erdoğan and Gül with "sharia" reference *Turkey is secular, and it will remain secular! () *We want no ABD-ullah as president! () *:ABD () is Turkish abbreviation of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and hence a pun: USA-ullah *Cabinet, resign! () *Neither the USA, nor the EU. Totally independent Turkey! () *:ABD () is Turkish abbreviation of the

*:AB () is Turkish abbreviation of the

*:The phrase "Totally independent Turkey" was a frequently used slogan by leftist student groups during the turmoil between 1968 and 1980. *The roads to Çankaya are closed to sharia. () *:Referring to where the presidential palace is located in Çankaya, Ankara *Father, rest in peace, we are here. () *:Referring to Atatürk as "Father" *We don't want an

in Çankaya. () *:Referring to the background of Erdoğan *Tayyip take a look at us, count how many of us there are! ()'' *:Referring to the disdainful statements of Erdoğan after the first protest "Goodness gracious, they're talking about millions" () *Turkey sobered up and the imam passed out! () *:Seemingly referring to Erdoğan, and as a pun to imam bayıldı. *Even Edison regrets it! () *:Referring to the emblem of the

, which is an image of a lightbulb *As the sun rises, lightbulbs dim. () *:Referring to the emblem of the

, which is an image of a lightbulb *Buy Tayyip, get

Aydın Doğan Aydın Doğan (born 15 April 1936) is a Turkish business magnate and investor. He is the founder of Doğan Holding, one of Turkey's largest conglomerates. Biography Born in 1936 as a member of a well-known family in Kelkit, Doğan went to el ...

for free! () *:Referring to the Turkish media's lack of coverage of the Tandoğan rally. Media magnate

's holding company owns 3 major news channels, including CNN Türk, and 5 major newspapers *The Islamic call to prayer, the peal of church bells, and the ceremony of the synagogue are all listened to with respect in this city. () *:Referring to the implied 'infidel İzmir' slur by Erdoğan. *We came with our mother, where are you? () *:Referring to both the fact that

's Gündoğdu rally was held on

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...

and also the derogatory comment made by Erdoğan to a farmer in

seeking government aid. () A particular message in that context was addressed by demonstrators from İzmir district of

Karşıyaka Karşıyaka () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 51 km2, and its population is 346,264 (2022). The district extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of ...

brandishing a photograph of Atatürk's mother

Zübeyde Hanım Zübeyde Hanım (1857 – 15 January 1923) was the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. She was the only daughter of the Hacısofular family which included her two brothers. Zübeyde was born in Langaza vil ...

, who is buried in Karşıyaka .

References

External links

* - unofficial website * *Photo gallery of the 14 April protests in Tandoğan square, Ankara ** *Photo gallery of the 29 April protests in Çağlayan square, Istanbul * ** ** ** *Photo gallery of the 13 May protests in Gündoğdu square, İzmir ** ** {{Protests in Turkey 2007 in Turkey 2007 protests Protests in Turkey Secularism in Turkey Turkish democracy movements

Antecedent

First rally (Tandoğan, Ankara)

Aftermath

Second rally (Çağlayan, Istanbul)

Aftermath

Third (Sultan, Manisa) and Fourth (Cumhuriyet, Çanakkale) rallies

Aftermath

Fifth rally (Gündoğdu, İzmir)

Slogans from the rallies

See also

References

External links