AKP begins process for ordinary congress

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has initiated its preparations for its next ordinary congress, beginning with the election of neighborhood delegates across Türkiye.

The two-day process to elect delegates is the first step in selecting participants for the upcoming town and district congresses. According to state-run Anadolu Agency, congresses in 37 towns are set to begin on Oct. 12, with district congresses expected to follow shortly after.

The AKP has planned the process to span 90 days, with provincial congresses slated to begin on Dec. 28 for regions that have completed the earlier phases.

The preparation for the congress, described by party leaders as a period where the AKP will "grow, strengthen and consolidate its cadres," is expected to wrap up by the end of next March.

Once local and provincial congresses are completed, the AKP intends to direct its district and provincial leadership toward fieldwork.

Congresses for key metropolitan areas, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, will be held last.

The party’s central decision and executive board set the congress process in motion with a decision made on Sept. 3.

The AKP held an extraordinary congress held in October 2023, during which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reelected as the party's leader.

It also saw a significant reshuffle in the AKP's central decision-making body, with 49 members losing their positions and 26 incumbents retaining theirs.

Notably absent from the new management list were figures such as Binali Yıldırım, Nurettin Canikli, Jülide Sarıeroğlu and Mehmet Ali Zengin.