The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will mark its 23rd year next month, with consecutive election victories since its foundation. Though it suffered losses in the March 31 municipal elections, the party is still popular and nowadays, sees a rise in applications from opposition lawmakers and mayors. Provincial chairs of some opposition parties also seek to join the party.
AK Party Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan instructed his aides in the party not to “rush” in admitting new members. He also urged them to filter applicants and admit only those willing to adhere to the principles and values of the party.
The AK Party sources say admissions may be available next October or at a ceremony on Aug. 14 to mark the party’s anniversary.
The AK Party has the highest number of members among dozens of political parties in Türkiye, at more than 11 million people.
From political pundits to opponents, many thought that the AK Party, founded by former members of the Virtue Party (FP), would be short-lived when it set out its course in Turkish politics in 2002. Erdoğan himself was considered a fad in politics when he unexpectedly won the mayor’s seat in the Istanbul municipality elections. Today, both the party and Erdoğan (first as prime minister and then as president) are viewed as the most enduring forces in the brief history of the republic. The party, which has never lost a general election, is commended for ending the era of coalition governments that stalled the country’s development.
