AK Party election campaign to kick off in March

The Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) road map for the June 7 general elections has become clear, as the first step to garner votes will be taken with a March 10 meeting in which Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is expected to instruct AK Party organizations to begin their studies.

With the aim of having enough seats in Parliament to establish a new constitution without opposition and to switch the current parliamentary government to a presidential system, the AK Party's election manifest is scheduled to be announced on April 15 in an event attended by thousands of political figures, prominent business circles and celebrities. The main focus of the election manifest is expected to be a new constitution" and presidential system.

Reportedly, the AK Party is neither interested in a bicameral legislature nor the navette system used in France, since it is reminiscent of the 1960 constitution enacted after the 1960 coup. The AK Party needs at least 330 deputies to conduct a referendum with the aim of building a new constitution. It would also need 367 deputies in Parliament to change the Constitution without a referendum. According to political circles in Ankara, the party aims to have 400 seats out of the 550 in Parliament, and many renowned figures from diverse backgrounds such as journalists, celebrities and businessmen as well as minorities may be on the party's deputy nomination list.

The deputy candidacy list of the party is also expected to be submitted to the High Electoral Board (YSK) in the first week of April ahead of the election rallies. According to the party's election strategy, all candidate nominees will go through four phases to be announced as deputy candidates. Commissions led by the heads of AK Party cadres will at first evaluate candidate nominees and hold face-to-face meetings to ask why the candidates would like to enter politics as members of the AK Party.