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.
Taj izbor predstavljao je iznenađenje, pošto se očekivalo da će kandidat biti premijer Redžep Tajip Erdogan i činilo se da AKP pokušava da odagna strahove sekularista.