"Gul withdraws candidacy to be president of TurkeyAdd story to my swissinfo panel
By Hidir Goktas and Paul de Bendern
ANKARA (Reuters) - Former Islamist Abdullah Gul on Sunday withdrew his candidacy for Turkey's presidency after his party failed to gain a quorum in parliament to vote him into the post, in a move that could ease a crisis in the secular state.
'After this ... my candidacy is out of the question,' Foreign Minister Gul told reporters after the roll-call in parliament. 'I don't feel resentment.'
Gul has not yet formally withdrawn but the next president is now expected to be elected only after an early general election on July 22."
More:swissinfo - Gul withdraws candidacy to be president of Turkey