ANKARA - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that they would ask President Ahmet Necdet Sezer for an appointment.
''Our mission is to ask for an appointment and to start the negotiations, and it is to ease the process between the party and the President,'' Erdogan said responding to questions at CNN Turk tv channel.
When asked if President Sezer does not give him the authority to found the new government, Erdogan said ''the thing you say can't take place in a democratic country. I talk about a country where democracy functions.''
Upon a question asking when would the party's prime minister candidate be determined, Erdogan reminded that the Higher Election Board had to announce the election results first.
Erdogan said that the foundation of the government can last until the end of the month, adding that they undertook a study to decrease the number of ministries under 25.
Erdogan said that they would not wait for the foundation of the government in order to take necessary steps for Turkey's relations with the EU and stated that he asked some EU countries for appointment through the ambassadors of those countries. He stated that they received positive response from Greece, Italy and Spain.
Erdogan responded in affirmative to the question whether or not he would pay visits as the leader of the party, and added that they would have meeting with the ambassadors of the EU countries on Wednesday evening.
Upon another question, Erdogan said that February 28 process did not have any effects on the results of the elections.
Erdogan added that decreasing the election threshold could end the stability.