Tell me what to do, pleads Gul RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN’S march to unchecked power is unstoppable. So the prime minister’s critics concluded on April 18th when Abdullah Gul, the president, declared: “I have no political plans for the future.” Mr Gul, a co-founder of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) party, was seen as the only figure of sufficient weight to challenge Mr Erdogan. Indeed, he had seemed keen to swap jobs with him this summer—until the March 30th local elections.A torrent of sleaze allegations against Mr Erdogan and his circle might have dented AK, forcing him to cede leadership to Mr Gul. But AK thrashed its rivals, taking 45% of the vote. Mr Erdogan may now run as Turkey’s first directly elected president in August (a new poll gives him 51% support), and install a puppet prime minister, not Mr Gul, in his place. He may even revive dreams of boosting the formal powers of the presidency so that he can keep calling the shots, including rejigging the electoral system to help AK in next year’s general election.Mr Gul must feel betrayed. He broadly stuck by Mr Erdogan during last summer’s anti-government protests, and has…
