The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will begin its election campaign on Oct. 6 shortly after the party finalizes its election manifesto and announces it on Oct. 4 in Ankara. It has been reported by sources close to the AK Party that Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will begin the election campaigning for the Nov. 1 early elections in the city of Samsun where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk began the Turkish War of Independence in 1919.
Following the Ottoman Empire's collapse after World War I, Atatürk led the Turkish War of Independence defeating forces sent by European powers. Davutoğlu will continue on to another symbolically significant city, Erzurum, the same day for campaigning. The significance of Erzurum comes from the Erzurum Congress, an assembly of Turkish revolutionaries, which played a fundamental role in shaping the national identity of modern Turkey.
Prior to this past week's Qurban Bayram holiday, the AK Party met with the Central Executive Board (MYK) whose members have finalized the election campaign process. It has been reported that Davutoğlu will not only make full use of the campaign in a number of provinces, but will also appear on television programs. The party will emphasize its promises for workers and retirees that are included in the electoral manifesto. The AK Party will do most of its campaigning through media.
Though Davutoğlu is to visit 30 provinces in 25 days, the number of provinces he visits may be increased to 35 if last minute visits are made to critical provinces in which the AK Party lost by a close margin in the June 7 elections. Davutoğlu will stress combating terror while campaigning in the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır, Van, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Mardin. In efforts to gain the Turkish expat votes, Davutoğlu will also meet with Turks living in European countries. The AK party leader will finalize the election campaign on Oct. 31 in Antalya.
