Türkiye’s ruling AK Party to announce key changes in its congress tomorrow
ANKARA, TURKIYE - FEBRUARY 05: Turkish President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets crowd as he attends the 7th Ordinary Congress of AK Party Women's Branches at Ankara Sports Hall on February 05, 2025 in Ankara, Turkiye. (Emin Sansar/ AA).
The eighth Ordinary Grand Congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which has been widely discussed for days, will take place on Sunday in Ankara. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make changes in key positions within the party and potentially government.
Having completed the provincial congress meetings for 81 provinces with the eighth Ordinary Provincial Congress in Istanbul on Feb. 7, the AK Party has now finished preparations for the grand congress, which will be held Sunday at the Ankara Sports Hall. The event is held to address internal party organization and the overall state of affairs in Türkiye—some 1,607 party delegates will be casting votes on various issues.
Erdogan shared that this party congress, “will open the doors to a new era” in a social media post leading up to the event. It is expected that Erdogan will make major changes in the Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), the highest decision-making body of the party, during the congress.
Foreign participation
In addition, significant guests from both within and outside Türkiye will attend the AK Party’s eighth Ordinary Grand Congress. The congress will host 62 ambassadors, including those from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, Czechia, Austria, Hungary, Norway, Ireland, and the head of the EU Türkiye Delegation. There will also be an embassy and diplomatic-level participation from the U.K., France and Spain.
At the congress venue, representatives from 16 political parties from 13 countries, including Belgium, Azerbaijan, China, Ethiopia, Somalia, Palestine, Russia, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Iraq, Bulgaria, and Indonesia, will also take their seats.
Additionally, representatives from the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, the Statistical, Economic, and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the U.N. International Labour Organization Representative, and the Union of International Democrats will attend the congress.
