President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has nearly finalized the new structure of the top executive body in his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Recent reports suggest that Erdoğan has been looking to rejuvenate the party with a more dynamic team that consists of experienced elders and younger members.
Likewise, the AK Party's Central Executive Committee and Central Decision Board (MKYK), the authorized body of the party, will be determined at AK Party's grand convention to be held Saturday.
Erdoğan has reportedly invested a significant amount of time determining the names of the 50 members of the MKYK and he is opting to reshuffle some 40 to 50 percent of the board. As AK Party chairman, Erdoğan is expected to finalize the list by Friday night.
Since it will mark the first convention after the transition to the presidential system, it is expected that Parliament, parliamentarians and ministers will be brought into the MKYK accordingly. Erdoğan is expected to include experienced names from the party in the MKYK; however, it is rumored in Ankara that young and new names as well as women in the party will also be given spots.
Erdoğan will make a mixed team of "young people plus experienced [people]" who will carry the party to its 2023 targets.
According to AK Party tradition, which Erdoğan won't change, the justice and interior ministers will also be involved in the MKYK. Additionally, the Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu are rumored to be included in the MKYK.
Recently, the party convened for a three-day camp in the Kızılcahamam district of Ankara to discuss the deficiencies of the party. The camp discussed why the AK Party lost a significant number of votes in the June 24 parliamentary elections - compared to the Nov. 1, 2015 elections - and explored how it could make up for the mistakes ahead of the next elections.
The AK Party has requested detailed reports on the June 24 process from all of its organizations, deputies and deputy candidates. Approximately 2,000 reports were submitted, and the final analysis was handed to Erdoğan. The reports, as well as the problems and shortcomings mentioned in them, were discussed at the camp.
The AK Party experienced a 7 percent drop at the ballots, costing them the majority in Parliament. In this context, the results from every electoral district will be analyzed to create individual road maps designed to address each district's expectations.
