The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) announced the mayoral candidates of 18 more provinces on Sunday, including the candidate for Turkey's northwest Bursa province for the March 31 local elections.
While the municipal candidates were revealed by provincial organizations in separate special ceremonies, AK Party Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also attended a ceremony on Sunday to announce the mayoral candidates of Turkey's Sakarya province.
During his address to party organizations, the president said that there is an uphill struggle for AK Party organizations for the March 31 elections.
The party will finalize all of its candidates on Jan. 27 in a program in Antalya to presided over by Erdoğan.
On Jan. 31, AK Party mayoral candidates and party organizations will come together at the Ankara Sports Hall to declare the election manifesto and promises.
Following the declaration of the election manifesto, the AK Party will start its election campaign on Feb. 1 and will continue campaigning for 60 days, compared to the previous 40-45 day election campaigns.
In the first 20 days, the work and projects carried out under AK Party municipalities will be presented while for the remaining 40 days, the party will introduce their plans and projects for the upcoming elections.
Erdoğan is expected to hold public meetings in more than 50 provinces during the 40-day period of the election campaign.
On the other hand, the AK Party's election partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), will gather at a camp in Kızılcahamam district of the capital Ankara, on Jan. 17 to evaluate the preparations for the elections as well as to minimize mistakes that can harm the spirit of the People's Alliance. During the camp, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli will also meet with provincial heads to lay out a comprehensive analysis.
Issuing a press statement about the MHP's camp to be held on Jan. 17, MHP Deputy Chairman, Edip Semih Yalçın, stressed yesterday that the People's Alliance is an essential part of the change in Turkish political life, adding the alliance has succeeded in leading the game by producing strong political arithmetic and keeping the spirit of national reconciliation maintained.
Asserting that Turkey entered a new phase after the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections, Yalçın said the new period, which was described by Bahçeli as the third phase of the republic, is a period of time when new institutions and rules are forming in politics and social dynamics are changing.
"The People's Alliance, which formed on the basis of national reconciliation after the July 15 failed coup attempt, is an important part of the change in Turkish political life," Yalçın noted.
The People's Alliance was formed by AK Party and the MHP ahead of the June 24 elections. As the elections proved the alliance's success, the two parties agreed to cooperate in 30 municipalities for the upcoming municipal elections.
Meanwhile, the MHP will celebrate its 50th anniversary in the Mediterranean city of Adana, on Feb. 8-9.
At the provincial council meeting held under the chairmanship of Bünyamin Avcı, MHP Adana provincial head, the celebration programs to be held in the city were discussed.
"It is a distinct pride and happiness for us that Adana will host the program, which will be honored by our chairman, Devlet Bahçeli," Avcı noted.
