Davutoglu Elected Leader of Turkey's Ruling AK Party

Ahmet Davutoglu was elected Chairman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday

Outgoing Foreign Minister Davutoglu, who was the only candidate to replace President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was elected with the votes of 1382 delegates at an AKP congress in Ankara, the remaining six votes being invalid, according to reports of Today's Zaman.

Davutoglu is due to be appointed as Prime Minister by Erdogan, who will be sworn in as President on Thursday.

He is expected to be given a mandate to form a new government.

Davutoglu, who has served as foreign minister for the past five years, has said Turkey needs a new constitution with a liberal character.

He has also cited EU membership as a strategic goal for Turkey, vowing that the country would continue to pursue a multi-faceted foreign policy.