AKP names new executive board after congress

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has appointed a new central executive board (MYK) following its eighth regular congress on Feb. 23, spokesperson Ömer Çelik announced after a closed-door meeting at the party headquarters.

President and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chaired the meeting, where the party finalized its top leadership appointments.

Efkan Ala and Mustafa Elitaş were named deputy leaders, while Hayati Yazıcı was appointed head of political and legal affairs.

Ahmet Büyükgümüş will oversee the party’s organization, and Ali İhsan Yavuz was placed in charge of election affairs. Muhammed Faruk Acar will lead promotion and media efforts, and Zafer Sırakaya will handle foreign relations.

Other key appointments include Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya as head of social policies, Mustafa Demir as head of local administrations and Nihat Zeybekci as head of economic affairs.

Belgin Uygur was named head of civil society and public relations, while Hasan Basri Yalçın will oversee human rights policies.

Ahmet Baha Öğütken was appointed to financial and administrative affairs, Sevilay Tuncer to environment and city affairs and Ömer İleri to information and communication technologies.

Mustafa Şen will head research and development as well as education, while Hüseyin Yayman was named head of culture and art policies.

Eyyüp Kadir İnan became the party’s secretary-general, with Kürşad Zorlu taking charge of relations with Turkic states and Halit Yerebakan overseeing health policies.

Büyükgümüş, Acar, Demir, Öğütken, Tuncer, İnan, Zorlu, Yerebakan and Yayman were among the new members added to the MYK.

Meanwhile, the congress confirmed the party’s central decision and executive board (MKYK) lineup, with 39 new appointments.

Notable figures appointed to the new leadership include Nebi Hatipoğlu, Seyithan İzsiz, Kürşad Zorlu, Dursun Ataş and Ünal Karaman, all of whom resigned from the İYİ (Good) Party.

Additionally, Nedim Yamalı and Serap Yazıcı Özbudun, both former members of the Future Party, are part of the new management team tasked with preparing the AKP for upcoming elections.