The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is scheduled to hold its first provincial congress on Saturday. The party’s chairperson, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is expected to attend the congress in Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the February 2023 earthquakes. Erdoğan will also attend a ceremony to hand over new residences for victims of the earthquakes who lost their homes in the “disaster of the century” for the country.
Erdoğan is expected to join other provincial congresses in Malatya and Adıyaman, two other provinces that were affected by the disaster, before the end of 2024.
The party launched its district conventions on Oct. 12 and has held congresses in 815 districts across the country so far. It plans to hold its national congress in early 2025, while Erdoğan is scheduled to attend 30 congresses, the Sabah newspaper reported.
Through congresses, the party aims to reshuffle its cadres. Erdoğan has signaled major changes within the party following the losses in municipal elections in late March. Several chairs of the party’s district branches have already stepped down while more replacements are expected.
As he criticized the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Wednesday, Erdoğan has also acknowledged his party’s shortcomings in the local elections.
“CHP’s ugly policies are exposed in every challenge Türkiye faced. I wonder if anyone had hope for themselves, themselves or the future of the country when they faced the current sorry state of the CHP. You cannot see a party that can advocate Türkiye’s national interests in the CHP. So, how did the CHP win so many votes?” Erdoğan told a parliamentary group meeting of the AK Party in the capital, Ankara. “This is because of us, the AK Party. This is self-criticism. We have to do soul-searching. He added that global challenges and our mistakes forced millions of people to vote reluctantly for the CHP,” he added.