Erdoğan leads AKP's 'consultation camp' with local agenda

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is hosting the second leg of its "consultation camp" in the capital Ankara's Kızılcahamam district from June 30 to July 2.

The camp will address the outcomes of the recent local elections and the party's initiatives in economy, energy, agriculture, transportation, tourism and environment, according to media reports.

Earlier this month, the first leg of the camp brought together AKP's senior party managers, founding members, parliamentarians and ministers. The session featured comprehensive presentations from key figures and concentrated on legislative activities.

The second leg shifts focus to mayors. Discussions will evaluate the results of the March 31 local elections.

The polls saw the AKP's vote share fall from 44.33 percent in 2019 to 35.48 percent, resulting in a second-place finish behind the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

This marked the first instance of the CHP outperforming the AKP.

Participants at the camp are expected to analyze the reasons for the vote decline and create a road map to address the challenges faced by local governments.

Additionally, the AKP's draft bill on stray animals is anticipated to be a significant topic of discussion. The proposed legislation has sparked public and political debate with its guidelines for stray dogs.

The bill prioritizes rounding up aggressive, rabies-prone, or anatomically deformed dogs while allowing non-threatening and sterilized dogs to remain on the streets.

Strays deemed too ill or excessively aggressive for shelter care, or those not adopted within a month, would face "euthanasia" under the proposed law, a measure that has generated controversy.

During a high-level AKP meeting last week, Erdoğan instructed that alternatives to euthanizing stray dogs should be explored, as reported by daily Hürriyet.

The meeting also considered alternatives such as mandating municipalities to establish shelters according to the breed, species and condition of the animals, with heavy penalties for non-compliance.

The first session of the camp's second leg will commence on July 1, featuring presentations from Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Göktaş Özdemir.

They will inform the mayors about their respective duties.

In the second session, Erdoğan will reportedly deliver a speech outlining his expectations for the mayors.

Presentations from others, including Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu, will also be featured in this session.

Following the camp, Erdoğan will attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan on July 3 and 4, where he is expected to hold bilateral meetings, including one with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.