ANKARA - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has designated Abdullah Gul, a deputy of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) from Kayseri, to form the 58th government.
President Sezer received Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace at noon on Saturday.
President Sezer designated Gul to form the 58th government during the ten-minute meeting.
Gul is expected to submit the list of the Council of Ministers to President Sezer in coming days.
The new government is expected to have 25 members including Gul.
Gul was born in central province of Kayseri on October 29, 1950 to Hamdi Ahmet Gul and Adeviye Gul.
He earned a degree at the Istanbul University in economics. He spent two years in British capital London and Exter for his master and Ph degrees.
After returning to Turkey, he worked to found the department of industrial engineering at the Sakarya University.
Between 1983 and 1991, he served at the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank as an expert.
He was elected as deputy of the Welfare Party (RP) from Kayseri province in the early elections in 1991.
Gul has been acting as a member of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (COEPA) since 1992. He worked at the Culture, By-law and Political and Economic Development committees of the COEPA.
He was presented with Medal of Pro Merito and Honorary Membership due to his activities at the Council of Europe (COE).
Gul was appointed as RP deputy leader responsbile for foreign affairs in 1993. He explained RP's views at many meetings both in Europe and the United States.
In the general elections in 1995, he was re-elected as RP deputy.
Between 1991 and 1995, Gul served as member of the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Commission.
He was elected as a member of Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission in 1995.
Gul served as state minister and government spokesman in the coalition government formed between the RP and the True Path Party (DYP).
When the RP was banned by the Constitutional Court, Gul joined the Virtue Party (FP).
In the general elections held on April 18, 1999, Gul was re-elected for the third time.
With the support of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gul became a candidate for FP leadership at the FP General Congress in 2000.
Gul got 521 votes, and lost the leadership against Recai Kutan who won 633 votes.
After the FP was closed down by the Constitution Court, Gul took part among founders of the AK Party on August 14, 2001.
Gul was re-elected for the fourth time in the general elections on November 3, 2002.
Gul who is married with three children, can speak English and Arabic.
ABDULLAH GUL: ''WE WILL USE UP ALL OUR ENERGY ON SOLUTION OF PROBLEMS OF OUR PEOPLE''
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Abdullah Gul who was designated to form the new government by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, has said that they would spend all their energy to solve problems of Turkish people.
Speaking to the A.A correspondent, Gul said, ''people fulfilled their responsibility and brought us to the power alone.''
''Actually, we got prepared for this. We do know what we should do and we are determined. We do have the will. Now everybody should spend his energy on solution of Turkey's problems. After long years, there is an historic opportunity in front of Turkey,'' he said.
''Stability has been settled after long years and one-party government is in question. We have to correctly do what is required in Turkey. Turkey should not waste time on artificial issues. Not only Ak Party but also the opposition, non-governmental organizations, press, I mean all of us should focus on solution of problems. We will do it,'' he said.
Gul added that they would form the new government as soon as possible.