Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's nomination of Gül as a presidential candidate drew strong and highly vocal opposition from ardent supporters of secularism in Turkey. In May 2007, Gül's first bid for presidency was blocked by the Constitutional Court, due to concern over views Gül expressed during his Welfare Party years, and the fact that his wife, Hayrünnisa, wears a headscarf. However, following the parliamentary elections in July of the same year, which were won by the Justice and Development Party with 46.6% of the popular vote, he was eventually elected President on 28 August 2007 and was sworn in the same day, becoming the first openly devout Muslim President in the modern history of Turkey.
Prime Minister Erdoğan announced on 24 April 2007 that Gül would be the Justice and Development Party candidate in the 2007 presidential election. Previously, there had been speculation that Erdoğan himself would be the party's candidate, which had provoked substantial opposition from secularists. When a boycott of opposition parties in Parliament deadlocked the election process, Gül formally withdrew his candidacy on 6 May 2007. If elected he would be the first president to have been involved with Islamist parties.
But a few days later, on 11 May 2007 when he inquired after the alterations to the Turkish constitution which now allowed the people to elect the president directly rather than a parliamentary vote, Gül announced that he was still intending to run.
Following the July 2007 parliamentary election, the AK Party renominated Gül as its presidential candidate on August 13; the election was again held as a vote of parliament.[16] On 14 August, Gül submitted his candidacy application to parliament and expressed his commitment to secularism at a news conference.
On 28 August 2007, he was elected president in the third round of voting; in the first two rounds, a two-thirds majority of MPs had been required, but in the third round he needed only a simple majority. Gül was sworn in immediately thereafter. The process was a very low-key affair.[19] Gül's swearing-in was not attended by the Chief of the Turkish General Staff and was boycotted by the opposition Republican People's Party; then the hand-over of power at the presidential palace was held behind closed doors. Gül's wife was not present. This approach continued; the traditional evening reception hosted by the new president at the presidential palace for the country's highest authorities was announced for 11:30 in the morning and wives were not invited.
Gül with Barack Obama on Obama's first visit to Ankara.
His presidency has been described as a "new era in Turkish politics", for being the first devout Muslim president of Turkey.
On August 20, 1980, Abdullah Gül married Hayrünnisa Özyurt who also originates from Kayseri. The couple have three children. He is a fan of the football club Beşiktaş J.K. of Istanbul.
1950–1983 Abdullah Gül
1983–1991 Dr. Abdullah Gül
1991–1996 Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, MP
1996–2002 Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, Minister of State of the Republic of Turkey
2002–2003 His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, 58th Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
2003–2007 His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
2007-Current His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, 11th President of the Republic of Turkey.
United Kingdom – Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (14 May 2008)
Saudi Arabia – Order of King Abdulaziz (2007)
Portugal – Grand Collar Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) (GColIH) (12 May 2009)
Pakistan – Nishan-e-Pakistan
Italy – National Decoration
Kuwait – National Decoration
Cameroon – National Decoration
Qatar – National Decoration
President Abdullah Gül has been voted the winner of the Chatham House Prize 2010 (19 March 2010)
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