TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Turkey's outgoing President Abdullah Gul has said that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to replace Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the country's next Prime Minister. Erdogan won the Presidential Election in one-round on August 10, replacing Gul who had been his partner in establishing the currently ruling, Islam-based Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Political analysts have claimed that Gul will be barred from re-entering politics by Erdogan and his followers, once the president-elect assumes the President's office.
"As far as my understanding goes, Ahmet Davutoglu will be the face of the next administration," said the outgoing President during his final reception at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
"We have to help him with his tasks. I was the one who convinced him to enter politics. I will throw my support behind him," said Gul, a prominent academic which had served as Foreign Minister in 2009.
AFP reported that Erdogan's sweeping victory in the Presidential election has cemented his status as one of the most dominant individuals in Turkish politics since Ataturk ruled.
ANTARANEWS
