Gül is expected to win the presidency in a third round of votes in parliament on 28 August 2007. His AK Party holds 340 seats in the 550-strong assembly. Gül is likely to easily reach the required simple majority, after failing to get a two-thirds majority in the first two rounds.
His candidacy and the prospect of having a moderate-Islamist party ruling both the government and the presidency threw the country into a major political crisis in April, when a first round of votes was boycotted by the opposition and millions of protesters took to the streets in defence of the state's secular principles.
The crisis also triggered early general elections in July, which strengthened the governing AK Party. Secularist forces in Turkey, the military and the main opposition group, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), accuse the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of undermining the country's secular foundations.
The Turkish army threatened to intervene one day ahead of Tuesday's vote. Chief of General Staff General Yasar Buykukanit said: "The Turkish armed forces will never sway from their determined stance and duty to protect and watch over the democratic, secular Turkish Republic. Our nation has been watching the behaviour of 'centres of evil' who systematically try to corrode the secular nature of the Turkish Republic."
However, Gül has promised to uphold the country's secular values and give new impetus to Turkey's EU membership bid. He said: "I will be everyone's president and will respect the principles of the secular republic."
