The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been accelerating its preparations for the upcoming local elections and shaping up the preferred criteria for its candidates.

Accordingly, the AK Party will take municipalities' services, their budget balances and the relationship between the mayors and organizations into account during this period. The reports prepared after visiting the municipalities throughout the year are expected to play a significant role in determining the candidates for the election.

The AK Party has prepared annual reports each year by visiting municipalities. In 2018, 73 municipalities were visited and their services were observed during these visits. In 2017 the party visited 666 municipalities. The reports prepared following the visits will be considered in the candidacy process.

The AK Party convened its Central Executive Board (MYK) on Aug. 29 and discussed the approaching local elections. In the meeting, vice chairman in charge of local organizations Mehmet Özhaseki and vice chairman in charge of publicity and media Mahir Ünal made presentations about the preparations for local elections.

The AK Party won 18 out of 30 metropolitan municipalities in the 2014 elections with 60 percent of the votes. The MYK's objective is to win more municipalities in local elections. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) won six metropolitan municipalities with 20 percent of the votes while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) won three metropolitan municipalities with 10 percent of the votes.

Meanwhile specifically designed strategies will be followed in provinces where the AK Party lost by a small margin, such as Yalova, Eskişehir, Tekirdağ, Zonguldak, Burdur, Manisa and Edirne.