Deputy Pms Pointed For Prime Ministry If Erdoğan Becomes President

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin has hinted that if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan becomes Turkey's next president, one of his four deputy prime ministers could fill the prime ministry post until the general elections that will be held in 2015.

As AK Party circles discuss whether Erdoğan will run for the presidency in August's elections and who will fill his position -- if he wins the vote -- until the general elections next year, Şahin offered his opinion on a TV show on Monday.

Şahin said one of the deputy prime ministers could replace Erdoğan and added that he would prefer that current president Abdullah Gül return to the AK Party to become prime minister after the general elections. Gül served briefly as prime minister from 2002-2003.

Current Turkish deputy prime ministers are Bülent Arınç, Ali Babacan, Beşir Atalay and Emrullah İşler. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)