The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) celebrated its first election win 23 years ago, in the Nov. 3 elections.
On Monday, the party’s officials hailed the progress while the AK Party’s Twitter account posted a video on the occasion. The video demonstrated that the milestones in history, such as the discovery of the lightbulb in 1879, the first powered airplane flight in 1903, the emergence of the internet in 1969, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the AK Party’s rise to government on Nov. 3, 2002, emphasizing that "nothing will be the same again in Türkiye." Regarding industrial, economic, engineering, defense and space, various developments in Türkiye during the AK Party’s rule were also displayed in the video.
Marking the 23rd anniversary of the AK Party’s rise to power, party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik underlined that Nov. 3 was a political landmark that marked the opening of a historic era in Türkiye’s democratic journey.
"Under the resolute leadership of our President, Türkiye has, over the past 23 years, grown stronger, produced major democratic transformations, assumed key roles in foreign policy and become known for its politics of works and service,” Çelik said in a statement posted on X (Twitter) account.
He added that while expanding its goals with the Century of Türkiye vision, they continue to strengthen Türkiye, the key to regional and global peace, the hope of the oppressed and the conscience of humanity.
"Of course, this success is the work of the national will that has manifested itself at the ballot box each time. The true owner of this work is our nation. Together with all our comrades in this cause and our beloved nation, who have supported it both in prayer and in action, we salute them with respect and gratitude. Under the leadership of our President, we will resolutely continue to be the guarantee of justice, development and stability through the Century of Türkiye vision and to work for regional and global peace. Today, as the People’s Alliance, we are marching toward the future with great effort for our Century of Türkiye goals.’’
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz also marked the anniversary, saying that since 2002, the AK Party had served the nation "in an environment of trust and stability.”
"Under our President’s leadership, AK Party governments have advanced Türkiye in every field, strengthened our democracy and accelerated development,” he noted, pledging to pursue "higher standards of democracy, more inclusive growth, social welfare, a terror-free Türkiye and a more just world.”
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also celebrated the 23rd anniversary of the AK Party’s rise to government in a post shared on his social media account. Duran highlighted that the new period, based on democracy, justice and development, enabled Türkiye to move toward the future with renewed hope, stability and self-confidence.
"From education to health, from justice to security, every institution has been restructured to meet contemporary requirements. With strong infrastructure and qualified human resources, Türkiye has gained a state structure more resilient to crises and more confidently advancing toward its goals,” he added.
Founded in 2001 under the leadership of Erdoğan, the AK Party was a true underdog in Turkish politics back then, a mixture of people with different political views, mostly those who split from the defunct Welfare Party (RP), including Erdoğan.
Monday is the 23rd anniversary of the party’s first election victory and a senior party official links the party’s longevity to resistance to multiple challenges with unwavering unity between the party, its leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the nation.