 On April 24, foreign minister Abdullah Gül was announced as the official candidate of Justice and Development Party, by Erdoğan.His candidacy was controversial from the beginning due to his background of two proscribed Islamic political parties, and his statement "We want to change the secular system", in an interview published by the Guardian in 1995.Nevertheless, additional concerns were also present, including the effect of the hijab-style clothing of his spouse on Turkey's image, who previously filed a case against Turkey for the ban in the public buildings.