At AKP headquarters on election night the crowd was calling for Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to become president, but it was his nomination that sparked this whole crisis in the first place.
He is a devout Muslim and his wife wears the Islamic headscarf.
It is not clear how the staunchly secularist military will react to the re-election of the AKP.
During the deadlock over the presidency, the army said it was prepared to step in to defend Turkey's secular system.
BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkish PM vows to pursue reform