Gul tips Turkey's Foreign Minister as next prime minister

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has been tipped to become the new chairman of the ruling AK Party, and thus become the next prime minister, by outgoing President Abdullah Gul yesterday.

“I am the one who brought him to politics,” Gul said, “he is the one to take over the Turkish premiership after Erdogan.”

He continued: “As far as I see, Davutoglu will take over the post. We will support him. His success is the success of all the country and thus we have to support him collectively.”

Gul is stepping down in August 28 as the newly elected President Erdogan is going to take over office.

Erdogan will step down as leader of the AK Party, but he has made clear that he wants the party he co-founded with Gul more than a decade ago to remain loyal and unified.

Gul said that he is going to return to policy after leaving presidential office. He said he is going back to his party to transfer his political experience to the country, the people and the party.