Abdullah Gul vs Nicos Anastasiades

Abdullah Gul was a founding member of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), along with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The party positioned itself as conservative democratic and won the 2002 elections.

Gul served as Prime Minister of Turkey from 2002 to 2003, leading the first AK Party government. He oversaw the early phase of economic reforms and EU accession negotiations.

Gul served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007. He played a key role in Turkey's EU accession negotiations and in improving relations with neighboring countries.

Gul was elected as the 11th President of Turkey after a contentious process. His election sparked a constitutional crisis due to his AK Party background and his wife's headscarf, leading to early elections.

As president, Gul supported Turkey's EU accession process and democratic reforms. He served until 2014, maintaining a largely ceremonial role while backing the AK Party's agenda.

Anastasiades was elected President of Cyprus in February 2013, succeeding Demetris Christofias. His election occurred during the peak of the Cypriot financial crisis, with the economy facing collapse and needing an international bailout.

Anastasiades negotiated a

Anastasiades resumed negotiations with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Ak

The UN-facilitated reunification conference in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without an agreement in July 2017. Anastasiades and Ak

Anastasiades won a second five-year term in the 2018 presidential election, defeating Stavros Malas in a runoff. His re-election was seen as a mandate for continued economic recovery and reunification talks.