As the critical local elections in Turkey near, planned for the end of March, the rumor mill concerning the presidential elections — which are next in line this year after the local elections — has started gathering speed. As far as the public is concerned, there currently appear to be two viable candidates for president, namely Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the incumbent Abdullah Gul.

Erdogan clearly wants the job, but remains circumspect when asked about his candidacy. Members of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) however spell it out unequivocally. Huseyin Celik, the AKP’s deputy head and the party’s spokesman, for example, went on record once again recently saying categorically, “Our Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the No. 1 candidate for president.” 

Meanwhile, the AKP has also been pushing to introduce constitutional changes that would transform Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system. The AKP, however, is not interested in a US-style system with its checks and balances.

It wants an unencumbered system that would in effect give the president absolute power.