The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) recently announced a change of chairs for the party’s provincial branches in Muğla, Çanakkale, Adıyaman, Niğde, Tunceli, Bitlis, Elazığ and Ordu. More changes are expected, Turkish media outlets reported, as the party seeks to boost its “political presence,” in the words of an official statement on Saturday.
Although it still dominates opinion polls, the party had setbacks in the 2024 municipal elections and launched an introspective process that has been marked by changes in cadres, including administrative ones.
According to party insiders, the party’s Organization Directorate is working on a detailed, multilayered process to select new provincial chairs, a process described as one of the most comprehensive internal consultations in the party’s history.
The first step will be preference surveys, set to begin this week in the relevant provinces. Party members’ opinions will be gathered to provide the first indication of who could lead the provincial organizations in the next term.
In the second stage, the party will reach out to civil society groups. The views of opinion leaders, business representatives and local stakeholders will be considered. “The views of NGOs are very valuable to us because a provincial chair must represent not just the organization but the entire city,” a party source said.
The third step will involve talks with regional political figures, including former AK Party officials, lawmakers, mayors and other local politicians.
In the fourth stage, candidates’ business and professional backgrounds will be examined. The party considers a provincial chair’s economic and social standing, credibility and representational capacity to be crucial.
The fifth stage will include consultations at AK Party headquarters, where both current and former members will share their views to gauge each candidate’s place in the party’s institutional memory.
At the end of this five-step process, the Organization Directorate will present a report to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Three candidates from each province will be interviewed, and Erdoğan will personally make the final decision. Party sources say the goal is to conclude the process quickly, ahead of a planned provincial chairs’ meeting chaired by Erdoğan in the first week of October. The new appointments are expected to fill vacant posts and help shape the party’s vision for the coming term.
Insiders emphasize that the changes should not be measured by the number of provinces affected. “The key issue is not how many provinces see a change but the organization’s will to renew itself,” one AK Party source said. “This handover is necessary to preserve the party’s dynamism.”
Party leaders aim to use these changes to introduce younger, more dynamic and inclusive cadres to both local and national politics. Maintaining high energy in the field as the party heads toward the 2028 elections is seen as a strategic priority. According to insiders, the ultimate goal of this Erdoğan-led process is to strengthen the AK Party’s post-2025 vision. The broad, consultative approach signals that the party is planning not only for the present but also for the future of its grassroots organizations.
