The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will make use of a new system to evaluate the performances of mayors and local branches ahead of the crucial March 2019 local elections, reports said.
Developed by the AK Party deputy chairmanship in charge of local organizations, the project aims to track the performances of mayors and municipalities. The party will assess institutional performance and analyze fiscal and administrative situations.
The party is expected to make the latest decisions and announce the candidates for the 2019 elections through the outcomes of the system.
The AK Party hopes to have a better understanding of how effectively the party's municipalities have fulfilled their promises.
According to party sources, AK Party's chairman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, recently instructed mayors and provincial heads to reach out to as many people as possible to listen to their needs and work in line with their requests as the country heads toward the 2019 local elections. Erdoğan reportedly sent messages to local administrations and mayors in a meeting.
Drawing the road map for the March 2019 local elections campaign, Erdoğan said everybody should work around the clock for the crucial vote. He also said local, youth and women's branches will join forces to prevail in the end.
The AK Party also recently went through a rejuvenation period after some mayors, including those of Istanbul and Ankara, were replaced to make way for more enthusiastic politicians. Over the course of previous months, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality announced that public transportation would be made available 24 hours a day, and Istanbul's Metropolitan Municipality said it would cut the price of water.
AK Party deputy chairman in charge of organizations, Mu
stafa Ataş, said last week that 52 percent of AK Party's local administrations have been changed in line with the needs of the party. Some 34 provincial heads out of 81 and more than 400 district heads were replaced in less than 12 months.
