Party of Justice and Development

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be his party's presidential candidate at the vote this August, ruling AKP officials say.

The widely expected announcement comes briefly after President Abdullah Gul declared he was not intending to stand for a second term in office, amid speculations he might try to do so and could put Erdogan's ambitions in jeopardy.

Turkey's major opposition parties have nominated a single candidate for the upcoming presidential elections by choosing the former chief of an Islamic body.