The choice was a surprise, as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been expected to run, and the AKP appeared to be trying to defuse secularist fears.
Odabir je predstavljao iznenađenje, budući da se očekivala kandidatura premijera Recepa Tayyipa Erdogana, te se činilo kako AKP nastoji raspršiti strahovanja sekularista.