The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is due to pick a successor to take over from Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Turkey's Prime Minister.

At a party meeting on Tuesday chaired for the last time by Erdogan, who won August 10's presidential elections and will have to vacate the office, it will be informally clear whether reports that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has already been tipped to assume the post.

Hurriyet Daily News reports outgoing President Abdullah Gul as saying at his farewell reception on August 19 as hinting who would become Prime Minister.

In his words Davutoglu was a likely successor as AKP Chairman, which would also give him the PM's seat.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz warned journalists against making conclusions before the party meeting.

“Our Mr. President said: ‘As far as I see, Mr. Davuto?lu seems at the forefront.’ It shouldn’t be interpreted as the announcement of a name. This will become official with the final meeting, which will be held by our Mr. Prime Minister, our newly-elected President,” Yildiz explained.

Reports in some media outlets have alleged over the past week that most AKP delegates prefer Davutoglu to Gul as Prime Minister, despite months of speculations that Gul might choose to take over the party chairmanship and Turkey could thus see a "Putin-Medvedev style" transition of power.

The outgoing President, however, made clear he would not seek the office.

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