The newly elected president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, nominated today the head of Turkish diplomacy, Ahmet Davutoglu, as the new prime minister.
Erdogan met today with senior officials of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to discuss the election of a new party leader and a new prime minister, who will replace him in both positions.
The choice of prime minister and party leader should be confirmed at a special party congress next week.
Davutoglu has been leading Turkey's foreign policy since 2003 as a minister and adviser.
Erdogan has promised to support Davutoglu in the fight against the "parallel state", which he blames for the corruption scandal that broke out earlier this year, involving people close to the new head of state.
Regardless of the choice of a new prime minister, it is expected that Erdogan, who has been at the head of Turkish politics for more than 10 years, will retain the greatest powers as president.
Turkey's new president has signaled his intention to maintain tight control over the government, transforming the president's largely ceremonial role.
Erdogan also announced that he will convene and preside over Cabinet meetings, AP reported.
Erdogan, who won the country's first direct presidential election, will officially take over as head of state on August 28, and as prime minister he wants a loyal man who will hold the party together and win a majority in next year's general election, the agency said.
Former president Abdullah Gul, who was once considered a possible candidate for prime minister, parted ways with Erdogan, and recently publicly opposed him, due to his disagreement with the government's attempt to close Twitter and YouTube in Turkey.
Until now, the presidents of Turkey have been elected in parliament, but Erdogan, whose party demanded that he step down after his third term, opted for direct elections.
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