Ahmet Davutolu (Turkish pronunciation: [ahmet davutou] ( listen); born 26 February 1959) is a

Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who was the Prime Minister of Turkey and leader of
the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from August 2014 to May 2016. He previously served as the
Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2014 and as chief advisor to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoan from 2003 to 2009. He was elected as an AKP Member of Parliament for Konya in the 2011
general election and was re-elected as an MP in both the June and November 2015 general elections. He
resigned as Prime Minister on 22 May 2016.[1]

Following the election of serving Prime Minister and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdoan as the 12th
President of Turkey, Davutolu was announced by the AKP Central Executive Committee as a candidate
for the party leadership.[2][3] He was unanimously elected as leader during the first AKP extraordinary
congress and consequently succeeded Erdoan as prime minister, forming the 62nd Government of the
Turkish Republic.[4][5] His cabinet was dominated by Erdoan's close allies such as Yaln Akdoan; this
led to speculation that he would take a docile approach as prime minister while Erdoan continued to
pursue his own political agenda as president.[6][7] The AKP lost its parliamentary majority in the June
2015 general election, though it remained the largest party. Davutolu's government subsequently
resigned but stayed in power until a new government could be formed. After undertaking a series of
unsuccessful coalition negotiations with opposition parties, Davutolu was tasked with forming Turkey's
first-ever interim election government, which presided over snap elections scheduled for November
2015. The AKP regained its parliamentary majority in November after a landslide victory, with Davutolu
subsequently forming his third government.