Gul's presidential candidacy comes to an official close, only 16 days after it was announced

Though Gul had announced last week that he would withdraw from the process, presumably until after the mid-summer general elections, yesterday saw the formal reading of his withdrawal in Parliament. Though there was another round of voting which took place in Parliament last Sunday, less than a week after the Constitutional Court had nullified the first vote, it quickly became clear that the ruling AKP would not be able to gather the necessary quorum, with opposition CHP Party members leading the protest of other opposition parties by not attending the General Assembly.
 
 
Now, as the capital prepares for general parliamentary elections in July, a wave of bureaucracy resignations is occuring, as top level government appointees and others prepare to run for MP positions with various parties.