Turkish foreign minister running for presidency

Turkey’s governing political party in has chosen Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as its candidate for president, the prime minister announced today.

Mr Gul is expected to win the post when politicians vote on Friday in the 55-member Parliament, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party has a majority.

Mr Erdogan said Mr Gul would be a candidate who would be “embraced by all of Turkey”.

The announcement ends months of tense speculation over whether Mr Erdogan himself would run for the post. Mr Erdogan – whose alleged Islamic tendencies have provoked public protests and warnings from the military – said the decision to nominate Mr Gul followed extensive polling within the party.

“No doubt, the final decision rests with the Parliament. The decision of the Parliament will be the decision of the people,” Mr Erdogan said.

The build-up to the presidential race has been dominated by debates over the role of secularism in the Muslim country, with the opposition saying it feared Mr Erdogan’s party was moving Turkey in the direction of religious rule.