After seven years in residence, President Abdullah Gul and First Lady Hayrunnisa Gul departed the Cankaya Presidential Palace when Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey’s 12th president on Aug. 28, 2014. At the official presidency handover ceremony, Turkey's outgoing president expressed special gratitude to his wife for “her support to him over the years even during difficult times.” Around that time, she made headlines for expressing disappointment with her husband’s treatment by some of his fellow Justice and Development Party members.
Her frankness surprised many who knew her as usually reserved and quiet, while simultaneously impressing those women and men who praised her sincerity and boldness. Journalist Ahu Ozyurt wrote, “Mrs. Hayrunnisa Gul is a symbol of typical Turkish women: a silent powerhouse who stands by her man. A kind and gentle mother who keeps her silence until that last drop. But when she is done, she is done for good.”