The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will celebrate its 24th anniversary on Thursday. Evolved from a modest gathering of the “Movement of the Virtuous,” the party boasts a streak of successive election victories in two decades. It is credited with transforming Türkiye in the first two decades of the 2000s, from education and health care to the arts, democracy, human rights, defense industry and energy.
Nowadays, the party, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is working toward achieving the ambitious Century of Türkiye vision, a new set of reforms aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s standing in the world and improving the lives of the Turkish nation in all fields.
Erdoğan will attend the main celebratory event at the party’s headquarters in Ankara, which will coincide with a gathering of the party’s chairs for 81 provincial offices, and make a speech. The party plans to introduce a new roadmap for the future and discuss public outreach that was recently expanded with a new campaign to explain the terror-free Türkiye initiative to the population. It will also discuss the achievements in the past 24 years.
In his speech, Erdoğan is expected to unveil new reforms set to be introduced in 2026 and issue new messages regarding the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
During the celebrations, more than four mayors from other parties are expected to switch sides to the AK Party. Some media outlets reported that two lawmakers who recently parted ways with the Future Party (GP) may join the AK Party during the event, along with several surprise names from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The AK Party’s governance has brought about significant changes for the better in Türkiye, following years of coalition governments and economic uncertainties.
Garnering votes of people who suffered during the dark period that led to the so-called “postmodern” coup of 1997, the party reinstated its rights. It allowed headscarves for university students in a bid for equality for all. The ban on headscarves for middle school students was also lifted in 2014. This equality in education later expanded into the public sector, and civil servants were allowed to wear a headscarf.
Universities also flourished under AK Party governments and their numbers reached 209 with the government’s promise to have at least one university in each of the 81 provinces. Another revolutionary move was the offer of free textbooks to primary and middle school students for the first time. The AK Party governments also significantly altered the education system by introducing a 12-year mandatory education system instead of the previous eight years.
Another revolution came in the form of natural gas. The AK Party governments successfully led efforts for energy independence and security, and the Fatih drillship made a major natural gas find off the shores of the northwestern province of Sakarya, paving the way for meeting the energy needs of 3 million households. This was complemented by the discovery of 75 billion cubic meters of natural gas in another reserve, also in the Black Sea. Another significant step toward energy independence was the discovery of oil in Gabar Mountain in the southeast, leading to daily production exceeding 78,000 barrels of oil.
In health care, AK Party governments introduced Türkiye to the concept of the “city hospital.” These massive complexes, which merge specialized hospitals and offer premium services free of charge, were first opened in 2017 in the central city of Yozgat and have since spread to other cities.
Under the AK Party rule, Türkiye ensured that the nation’s will governed the country and switched to an executive presidency system shortly after implementing a new presidential system, where the public elects the president. Also in this new era, the age limit for election into Parliament was lowered to 18.
The past 24 years have also witnessed significant developments elsewhere, including the introduction of the first mass-produced locally made vehicle, Togg, the first locally made satellite, IMECE and the launch of the first Turkish astronaut into space. In the defense industry, dependence on other countries reduced from 80% to 20% and Türkiye introduced
