"Turkey's democratic choice
The election of Abdullah Gul, an observant Muslim, to the Turkish presidency is a victory for democracy. The military, which has a habit of defending Turkish secularism at the expense of Turkish democracy, tried to block his candidacy last spring. Rather than bow to the generals, the government took the issue to the people, who delivered Gul's party a mandate in July's parliamentary elections, smoothing the way for lawmakers to overwhelmingly approve Gul for the presidency."
More:Turkey's democratic choice - International Herald Tribune