The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will welcome two new lawmakers on Wednesday, the Sabah newspaper reported on Monday. Irfan Karatutlu, who resigned from the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, and Hasan Ufuk Çakır, who parted ways with the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will formally join the party on Wednesday, during a parliamentary group meeting of the party. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to introduce new lawmakers at the meeting.
The Sabah newspaper reported that the party was in talks with more lawmakers from other parties to convince them to join their ranks in Parliament. So far, 11 lawmakers from other parties have joined the party, along with 66 mayors of various political parties since the 2024 municipal elections.
The AK Party has 272 seats in Parliament, while its main rival, the CHP, retains 139 seats. The AK Party’s partner in the People’s Alliance, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has 47 seats.
Çakır has recently found himself the target of disciplinary proceedings at the CHP when he criticized the administration over the handling of corruption cases against CHP mayors. Çakır has joined other prominent names in the party, urging the party administration to run its own investigations into corruption allegations. The CHP claims arrests of several mayors, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who was detained last March, were politically motivated.
The AK Party also boasts the largest number of members, with more than 11.5 million people. Official figures by a judiciary body tasked with monitoring the records of political parties show the long-governing party surpassed 187 others.
The CHP, which is often the only closest rival of the AK Party in elections, follows the ruling party with more than 1.9 million members.
The MHP had 498,021 members, according to the official figures announced earlier this week. It is followed by the Good Party (IP), which was founded by politicians who split ways with the MHP. The People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), associated with the terrorist group PKK, had 16,228 members, figures show.
The New Welfare Party (YRP), led by the son of AK Party Chair President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s political mentor, Necmettin Erbakan, surpassed others in the number of members at 652,933 members, although it is a relative newcomer to the political scene. Anahtar, or the Key Party, which was founded in 2024, had 22,517 members.
Commenting on the numbers, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a social media post on Saturday that the party increased the number of its members by 664,568 "lately.” "I send my heartfelt thanks to fellow party members behind this significant accomplishment. This is a sign that the AK Party is really a party of the nation and we formed a strong bond with the public,” he said. Erdoğan added that their doors were open to "anyone willing to contribute to our Century of Türkiye vision, to serve the country and the nation. Türkiye needs a stronger AK Party and People’s Alliance (which the party founded with the MHP). Allah willing, we will make our party and alliance stronger,” he said.
