Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was nominated as the country's ruling AK party's presidential nominee.

With the party holding the majority in the Turkish Parliament, its nominee is a shoo-in for the job.

Gul is seen as a compromise candidate and less confrontational than Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whom AK initially was expected to put forth as its candidate.

The party has its roots in political Islam, a worrying factor for the secular camp in the country.

Turkey has separated religion from politics since 1923, when it became a secular state under Kemal Ataturk, who is still strongly revered by the Turks.

Both outgoing president Ahmet Necdet Sezer and influential army generals have called on Erdogan to nominate a figure known for its secular views for the largely ceremonial presidential position.

The army has been set up by Ataturk as the guarantee of the secular state and, as four coups in less than 50 years show, is always ready to intervene whenever it feels the secularist system might be under threat.

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