In about a month, on Aug. 10, Turkey will have its first round of a historic presidential election. Historic because this is the first time the president will be directly elected by the people. Previously, the president has been elected to the largely ceremonial office by parliament for a single seven-year term. The new president-elect will have a tenure of five years but with the opportunity for a second term at Cankaya (the neighborhood of Ankara where the presidential residence is located). According to embellished commentaries, this is the first time since the days of the Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire that the Turkish people themselves are going to decide who will rule them.
For many people in and out of Turkey, it is a foregone conclusion that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will become president-elect as a result of the first round vote on Aug. 10. Particularly in the international press, an interesting discussion on the implications of Erdogan’s election is going on. For example, London's Financial Times published an editorial July 7 titled “Erdogan’s Ambition and Turkey’s Future.” And on July 3, the same newspaper devoted a full page to Erdogan under the headline “Grand Ambition.”
