Turkish President Abdullah Gül spoke out against censorship yesterday, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended barring some media outlets from covering their Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s convention in Ankara last Sunday.

Gül said in remarks opening the legislative year at Turkey’s parliament: “When writers, thinkers and intellectuals share their opinions without fear, such a case contributes to the prestige of a country. Likewise, it is important for journalists, news makers and media representatives not to meet any obstacles as they try to fulfill their duties of informing the public.”

He added: “No one should be sent to prison for expressing views through the media. There should be a distinction between those inciting violence and those merely expressing an opinion.”

However, Erdoğan, faced with criticism over the decision to deny accreditation to seven dissident newspapers and two television broadcasters that sought to cover the AKP convention, responded: “I do not have to invite those who always insult [the AKP] and who show us disrespect to a special occasion of ours like this. That’s why we didn’t invite them. It’s as simple as this.”

Erdoğan similarly rejected Gül’s call that jailed parliamentary deputies should be able to continue to act as lawmakers until cases against them are conclusively decided.

The disagreements highlighted an unexpected split between the two, both AKP co-founders.

Observers have long predicted that Erdoğan would seek to succeed Gül in a presidential election set for 2014. Erdoğan in his remarks to the AKP convention seemed to confirm this, indicating that he would continue to “be at the service of our nation” until 2023, the centennial of the Turkish Republic. Reports have also indicated that he is expected to push between now and the 2014 election to centralize more power in the presidency, creating an executive more like that seen in the United States.

However, Gül, who some had expected to step aside when his current term ends, appears to be contemplating asking voters for more time in office. A close adviser in July implied as much and Reuters reported that a poll released last month by the MetroPOLL research firm found that nearly 60 percent of Turks thought he should run for a second term. The poll also found that in a head-to-head match, 51 percent of respondents said they would vote for Gül, compared to 23 percent for Erdoğan.