Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel yesterday assigned the task of forming a new government to Mr Bulent Ecevit, of the Democratic Left Party (DSP).
"The president has asked me to form a government and I accepted and thanked him for the honour," Mr Ecevit said after meeting Mr Demirel.
"I will try to form a government that can obtain the confidence of parliament in the shortest possible time," Mr Ecevit said, adding that he would begin consultations with other party leaders today.
"The new government will not just be an election government," Mr Ecevit said, referring to the early elections called by parliament for next April. "Turkey currently faces several serious problems at home and abroad," he said, referring to the diplomatic tug of war with Italy over the Kurdish rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
The 73-year-old veteran of Turkish politics is widely expected to weld a coalition between the two rival conservative parties in parliament, the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP).
Mr Ecevit would serve as a buffer between Mr Mesut Yilmaz of the ANAP and Ms Tansu Ciller of the DYP, who are bitter personal enemies. A coalition of the three parties would command a clear majority in parliament, with 294 of 550 seats.