AKP plans to hold congress in stadium

ISTANBUL

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is planning to hold its annual provincial congress meeting at Istanbul Galatasaray Türk Telekom Arena Football Stadium Hüseyin Baştürk, the press consultant of Justice and Development Party’s Istanbul branch told the Daily News yesterday. The stadium could have a capacity of more than 100,000 people for such an event.

The AKP has been seeking a proper place to hold the congress and due to the high level of anticipated participation they have agreed on the stadium, a report by the daily Hürriyet based upon the statements of a high-profile AKP member said on March 27.

 “Our party had its provincial congress’ in stadiums in Diyarbakır and Kahramanmaraş. Now it is time for Istanbul. We could not find any other suitable place for so many participants,” the official said in daily Hürriyet’s report.

 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend to the congress meeting, which is scheduled to be held in May.

At the opening ceremony of the stadium in January 2011, Erdoğan left the stadium without giving his planned speech, due to protests and slogans chanted by the crowd when his name was announced.
The all-seater stadium has the capacity to host 52,652 spectators during football games.