The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will host its supporters in the capital, Ankara, on Sunday for its grand congress, the eighth in over two decades. It will be just another milestone in the party’s long journey in Turkish politics since it came to power in 2002, one year after its foundation. But it bears significance for the party that suffered its first major losses in municipal elections last year. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has launched a lengthy process of congresses across Türkiye, promising “change” within the party after “lessons learned” from the results of the elections.
AK Party Deputy Chair Erkan Kandemir held a news conference on Tuesday about the congress. “Our congresses are not shady as congresses of the CHP,” Kandemir said in a barb toward the party’s main rival, the Republican People’s Party (CHP). The CHP’s 2023 congress, where new Chair Özgür Özel was elected, is under investigation over claims of suspicious deals to buy votes for Özel and replace his predecessor, former presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
“Our congresses are events where people share their dreams for great Türkiye and their criticism if they have any,” he said.
Kandemir noted that the party launched its congresses on the district level in October 2024. “We wrapped up our congresses with enthusiasm, excitement and motivation rarely seen in Turkish politics, under the leadership of President Erdoğan and in a way rarely seen in the history of Turkish democracy.
“Our party is a political movement that exists today by blending its outreach and renewal processes with its deep-rooted experience,” he said.
“In just 119 days, we completed 3,162 congresses, including youth and women’s branches, which may be the fastest in Turkish history,” he added.
“Our congresses were held with great enthusiasm,” Kandemir said, reflecting on the success of the congress process across provinces and districts.
“You witnessed it firsthand. Many of you were there, and we saw over 5 million people attend our congresses. This filled us with excitement and reminded us of the responsibility entrusted to us by the people, helping us realize the significance of the work we’re doing.”
To serve the nation
“We have cadres trained to serve our nation wholeheartedly. These individuals, whether currently in office or not, whether passing on their duties or taking on new ones, have worked with dedication, unity and fresh enthusiasm in our organization. We saw this once again during this process. In our district and provincial chairmanships, we experienced one of the most significant renewals in our history with a 60%-65% change at the district level and a 75% change at the provincial level,” Kandemir said. Most provincial chairs offered to step down after the lackluster municipal election results where the CHP saw unprecedented gains. The unexpected results for the AK Party are tied to the electorate’s disappointment with the high cost of living, according to political pundits and, in some constituencies, the poor record of AK Party mayors.
“Since the first day we came to power, we have been a political movement with the dream of a stronger, more prosperous, more democratic and more free Türkiye. Today, we have largely turned this dream into reality, though we still aim to build a more beautiful country. We are stepping into a new era, working together with our team. The AK Party is a political movement that has brought about achievements in Türkiye that the opposition could never dream of. It is a political movement born from the people speaking on behalf of their feelings. It is a political movement that has always been on the field. Over the course of its 23-year history, it has transformed Türkiye into a country that is respected and consulted by the world. And at its helm is President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, one of the most experienced political leaders globally. The AK Party has become the voice of the oppressed and the defender of justice,” Kandemir said.
Though the political landscape in the year it was founded propelled the AK Party to the spotlight, landmark steps by successive AK Party governments have helped it to stay in power for more than two decades. Those include breaking the taboo on several issues, such as the Kurdish question and a headscarf ban. Along the way, it has faced lawsuits for its closure and several coup attempts. Erdoğan himself was barred from politics after he was imprisoned for 10 months for reciting a poem deemed offensive for the country’s ruling elite, which toppled a coalition government of Erdoğan’s political mentor Necmettin Erbakan in 1997. This ban only ended in 2003, and he became the second prime minister of the AK Party after a brief tenure by Abdullah Gül. Since then, he has served either as prime minister or president and is credited with expanding his party’s support to the wider public through a string of reforms in public services.
The party was first challenged to remain in power in the 2004 local elections. However, the sweeping social change that brought the AK Party to power as the voice of the previously unheard masses also brought its first municipal election victory. With a vote rate of 41.7%, the AK Party won seats in 1,765 municipalities. In the next general election, it further cemented its success by winning more than 46% of the vote. The successive elections were almost a carbon copy of each other for the AK Party in terms of the high rate of vote, despite fluctuations at times.
It was not an easy road to power for the party, though, amid strict opposition from remnants of military and judiciary tutelage. In 2008, the party faced closure, while Erdoğan and other senior figures faced political bans when the Constitutional Court approved pleas for the closure of the party. It ultimately staved off the closure at the end of the legal process.
Undaunted, the party did not step back from its goal of the prevalence of democracy. In 2014, Erdoğan had the honor of being the first publicly elected president of Türkiye after legal amendments advocated by the party were approved. In 2016, Erdoğan handed the seat of the AK Party leadership to Binali Yıldırım, who went on to be elected as prime minister.
In 2017, the party brought another major change to Türkiye. A referendum in favor of an executive presidential system was overwhelmingly approved by the public, also eliminating the clause that the president should resign from his party. In 2018, Erdoğan was elected as the first president of the new system.
Accustomed to the victories, Erdoğan faced a tough test in the 2023 elections. For the first time and in the face of an unprecedented alliance of the opposition, Erdoğan was forced to participate in a runoff election on May 28. Still, the public support apparently did not fade for the president, who won the runoff with more than 52% of the vote.
Kandemir said the AK Party was one of the largest political movements in the world in terms of membership, not only in Turkish political history. “In this process, we saw that our party continues to grow, with more people joining us, particularly through our youth and women’s branches. We received over 1 million applications from people wanting to serve on our boards. In total, we have placed 120,000 members, including youth and women, in our ranks. We will ensure that all our supporters who have applied to serve stay engaged. This shows the power of our movement, and we have seen an increase in membership. We have also reduced the average age in our new management and greatly increased female representation, strengthening the party. This is something we prioritize. One of the key instructions from our president has been to ensure more women’s participation and representation in politics while maintaining a balance between youth and experience,” he said.
Describing the AK Party as the most resource-rich political movement regarding human resources, Kandemir continued: “We have also worked on youth development, making substantial changes in leadership. We believe these changes will greatly contribute to the AK Party’s dynamism, motivation and success in the future. As part of our preparation for the eighth congress, we have consulted with our 400,000 delegates to gather their opinions on various issues. These insights will help guide us as we continue shaping our future.”
The deputy chair unveiled their slogans for the upcoming congress, where the main motto would be “Named White, Illuminating the Future,” referring to the initials of the party’s name, which also means “White,” and their logo, a lightbulb. “We aim to stay true to our people, remain pure and offer a vision for the future. We will continue building the future, accelerating development, strengthening peace, giving hope to the youth, fostering success, spreading compassion and justice, and maintaining stability,” Kandemir said.
“The congress will be significant not only for Turkish democracy but also for global politics. We have invited nine political parties and have received confirmation from 95 ambassadors from 88 countries for attendance. We will also welcome 28 political party representatives from 13 countries, 127 civil society organizations and representatives from veterans’ and martyrs’ families. This congress will represent all the colors of Türkiye because the AK Party is a political movement that reflects all societal segments of Türkiye. I am confident this congress will set an example for the entire world,” he concluded.
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