The push for change at Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has led to the replacement of 47 provincial chairs since last year as part of the party’s congress process that aims for extensive overhauls following unprecedented losses in the March 31 local polls in 2024.
The party’s chair, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, kickstarted the congresses in southeastern Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep provinces, in October 2024, which were hit by the deadly twin earthquakes of Feb. 3, 2023.
The events are meant to promote Erdoğan’s post-election message that focused on “change” within the party, both in its cadres and policies.
Several heads of the party’s local branches had already stepped down from their posts while some incumbents decided not to run in intraparty elections. Congresses at provincial and district levels will conclude with a national congress, which will likely be held in February.
Party members describe the congress program as “a period in which the party is growing, strengthening and fortifying its cadres.”
Key changes took place in the AK Party’s primary cast, as well as women’s and youth’s branches, including the senior cadres of local branches in 47 cities.
Erdoğan has attended 13 provincial congresses so far, including in his hometown Rize, western Bursa and southern Mardin provinces, while senior AK Party figures and lawmakers participated in all events.
The president will attend the congresses in Izmir, Türkiye’s third largest city and a stronghold of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on Feb. 1, Sabah newspaper recently reported. He will also attend a congress in the capital, Ankara, on Feb. 7 and in Istanbul on Feb. 8.
Erdoğan will visit 30 cities in total for the provincial congresses.
This weekend, he will be traveling to southwestern Denizli, Aydın, southeastern Diyarbakır and Şanlıurfa provinces.
The AK Party aims to raise its vote rate to 50% in the upcoming elections, Erdoğan said last Sunday in the northern Samsun province.
A general election is scheduled for 2028, while the CHP, encouraged by municipal vote gains, campaigns for an early election.
In Rize, he highlighted the AK Party’s successful record as the ruling party in the past two decades and touted congresses as “a new period of resurrection.”
The president listed works for Rize under his government, from improvements in health care to infrastructure, and urged fellow members to correctly promote such services everywhere to counter the opposition’s propaganda.
He also warned the party’s cadres not to ignore public complaints. “Whatever your post is, you cannot forward what a citizen asked you to do to another office, another person. It is unforgivable to do so,” he said.