Ahmet Davutoglu was elected leader of Turkey’s ruling AK Party on Wednesday in a televised ceremony, ahead of his expected appointment as prime minister on Thursday after Tayyip Erdogan is sworn in as president.
Ahmet Davutoglu was elected leader of Turkey's ruling AK Party on Wednesday in a televised ceremony, ahead of his expected appointment as prime minister on Thursday after Tayyip Erdogan is sworn in as president.
Outgoing Foreign Minister Davutoglu, who was the only candidate to replace Erdogan at the AKP congress in the capital Ankara, was elected with the votes of 1,382 delegates, the official announced. The remaining six votes were ruled invalid.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) met Wednesday for a congress to confirm Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to succeed Recep Tayyip Erdogan as party leader and premier when he becomes president this week.
Erdogan -- who has ruled Turkey as premier for over a decade with Islamic-tinted and development-focused policies -- will be sworn in as president on Thursday after his victory in the August 10 election.
The congress is a largely ceremonial affair with Davutoglu the only candidate for party leader and premier after his candidacy was agreed by the party's executive committee last week.
Erdogan entered the congress with his wife Emine to a rock star-style welcome, throwing red carnations to the crowds and a pop song booming out with the chorus "Recep Tayyip Erdogan".
The slogan of the congress "all together for a new Turkey" emphasizes Erdogan's ambition to transform the country into an economically-booming world power.
"This is not a change of mission, it is just a change of names," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara before heading into the congress.
"This is not a farewell. We will continue to serve our people from Edirne to Hakkari," referring to cities at opposite ends of Turkey close to the borders with Greece and Iraq.
Erdogan also said that Davutoglu will form a new cabinet by Friday, with intense speculation over who will hold the top jobs.
Press reports have tipped the head of Turkey's intelligence service Hakan Fidan as a possible new foreign minister while there is also huge attention on the future of economic pointman and market favorite Ali Babacan in the government.
