Justice and Development Party (Turkey)

Justice and Development Party
Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi
President Ahmet Davutoğlu
General Secretary Haluk İpek
Founder Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Founded August 14, 2001
Split from Virtue Party
Headquarters Söğütözü Caddesi No 6
Çankaya, Ankara
Youth wing AK Gençlik
Membership  (2014[1]) 9,062,525
Ideology Conservative democracy[2][3]
Social conservatism[4][5][6]
Economic liberalism[4]
Islamic democracy[7]
Neo-Ottomanism[8][9]
Political position Centre-right[10] to Right-wing[11]
International affiliation None
European affiliation Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
Colours      Orange
     Blue
     Black[12]
Parliament:
312 / 550
Metropolitan municipalities:
18 / 30
District municipalities:
800 / 1,351
Municipal councillors:
10,530 / 20,498
Provincial councillors:
779 / 1,251
Website
akparti.org.tr
Politics of Turkey
Political parties
Elections

The Justice and Development Party (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi), abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a social conservative political party in Turkey. It has developed from the tradition of Islamism, but has officially abandoned this ideology in favour of "conservative democracy".[13][14] The party is the largest in Turkey, with 312 members of parliament. Its leader, Ahmet Davutoğlu, is Prime Minister, while former party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is President.

Founded in 2001 by members of a number of existing conservative parties, the party has won three general election victories in 2002, 2007 and 2011, winning 34.3%, 46.6% and 49.8% respectively. Having almost won a Two-thirds majority of the 550 parliamentary seats in 2002, the party won 341 seats in 2007 and 327 in 2011. The party currently forms a third-term majority government since 18 November 2002, having had their electoral success mirrored locally in the municipal elections of 2004, 2009 and 2014.

Shortly after formation, the AKP portrayed itself as a pro-Western and pro-American[15] party in the Turkish political spectrum that advocates a liberal market economy including Turkish membership in the European Union.[16] The party has been described as a "broad right-wing coalition of Islamists, reformist Islamists, conservatives, nationalists, centre-right, and pro-business groups."[11] The party has for a long time been supported by the Cemaat Movement of exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, who's influence in the judiciary has helped to weaken the opposition against the AKP.[17] Having been observer in the center-right European People's Party since 2005, it however left to join the eurosceptic Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) in November 2013.

Controversies over whether the party remains committed to secular principles enshrined in the Turkish constitution despite their Islamist origins have dominated Turkish politics since 2002 and has resulted in numerous unsuccessful closure cases.[18] Critics have accused the AKP of having a 'hidden agenda' despite their public endorsement of secularism and the party maintains informal relations and support for the Muslim Brotherhood.[19][20][21][22] Both the party's domestic and foreign policy has been perceived to be Pan-Islamist or Neo-Ottoman, advocating a revival of Ottoman culture often at the expense of secular republican principles, while increasing regional presence in former Ottoman territories.[8][9][23][24]

Nationwide protests broke out against the alleged authoritarianism of the AKP in 2013, with the party's heavy-handed response receiving international condemnation and stalling the party's once championed EU accession negotiations.[25][26] Since then, the party has brought about tighter regulations on internet use, abortion and alcohol consumption, having temporarily blocked access to Twitter and YouTube in March 2014.[27][28][29][30][31] Especially after the government corruption scandal involving several AKP ministers in 2013, the party has been increasingly accused of crony capitalism.[32][33][34] The AKP favours a strong centralised leadership, having long advocated a presidential system of government and significantly reduced the number of elected local government positions in 2013.[35]

In the presidential election of 2014, the AKP's long time leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was elected President. In the party's first extraordinary congress, former foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was unanimously elected unopposed as party leader and took over as Prime Minister on 28 August 2014.

Formation

The AK Party was established by a wide range of politicians of various political parties and a number of new politicians. The core of the party was formed from the reformist faction of the Islamist Virtue Party, including people such as Abdullah Gül, Bülent Arınç, and Melih Gökçek. A second founding group consisted of members of the social conservative Motherland Party who had been close to Turgut Özal, such as Cemil Çiçek and Abdülkadir Aksu. Some members of the Turkish Democratic Party, such as Hüseyin Çelik and Köksal Toptan, joined the AKP. Some members, such as Kürşad Tüzmen had nationalist or Ertuğrul Günay, had center-left backgrounds while representatives of the nascent 'Muslim left' current were largely excluded.[36] In addition a large number of people joined a political party for the first time, such as Ali Babacan, Selma Aliye Kavaf, Egemen Bağış and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. All of these people joined Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to found the new party.

Ideology

Although the party is described as an Islamist party in some media, party officials reject those claims.[37] According to former minister Hüseyin Çelik, "In the Western press, when the AK Party administration – the ruling party of the Turkish Republic – is being named, unfortunately most of the time 'Islamic,' 'Islamist,' 'mildly Islamist,' 'Islamic-oriented,' 'Islamic-based' or 'with an Islamic agenda,' and similar language is being used. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us." Çelik added, "The AK Party is a conservative democratic party. The AK Party's conservatism is limited to moral and social issues."[38] Also in a separate speech made in 2005, Prime Minister Erdoğan stated, "We are not an Islamic party, and we also refuse labels such as Muslim-democrat." Erdoğan went on to say that the AK Party's agenda is limited to "conservative democracy".[39]

The party's foreign policy has also been widely described as Neo-Ottomanist,[40] an ideology that promotes renewed Turkish political engagement in the former territories of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire. However, the party's leadership has also rejected this label.[41]

European affiliation

In 2005, the party was granted observer membership in the European People's Party (EPP). In November 2013, the party however left the EPP to join the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) instead.[42] This move was attributed to the AKP's disappointment not to be granted full membership in the EPP, while it was admitted as a full member of the AECR.[43] It drew criticism in both national and european discourses, as the driving force of Turkey's aspirations to become a member of the European Union decided to join a largely eurosceptic alliance, abandoning the more influential pro-european EPP, feeding suspicions that AKP wants to join a watered down, not a closely integrated EU.[44]

History

Closure cases

The Justice and Development Party has faced two closure cases in its history. Just 10 days before the national elections of 2002, Turkey's chief prosecutor, Sabih Kanadoğlu, asked the Turkish constitutional court to close the Justice and Development Party, which was leading in the polls at that time. The chief prosecutor charged the Justice and Development Party with abusing the law and justice. He based his case on the fact that the party's leader had been banned from political life for reading an Islamist poem, and thus the party had no standing in elections. The European Commission had previously criticised Turkey for banning the party's leader from participating in elections.[45]

The party again faced a closure trial in 2008. At an international press conference in Spain, Erdoğan answered a question of a journalist by saying, "What if the headscarf is a symbol? Even if it were a political symbol, does that give [one the] right to ban it? Could you bring prohibitions to symbols?" These statements led to a joint proposal of the Justice and Development Party and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party for changing the constitution and the law to lift a ban on women wearing headscarves at state universities. Soon afterwards, Turkey's chief prosecutor, Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya, asked the Constitutional Court of Turkey to close down the party on charges of violating the separation of religion and state in Turkey.[46][47][48] The closure request failed by only one vote, as only 6 of the 11 judges ruled in favour, with 7 required; however, 10 out of 11 judges agreed that the Justice and Development Party had become "a center for anti-secular activities", leading to a loss of 50% of the state funding for the party.[49]

Elections

2002 general elections

The AK party won a sweeping victory in the 2002 elections, which saw every party previously represented in the Grand National Assembly ejected from the chamber. In the process, it won a two-thirds majority of seats, becoming the first Turkish party in 11 years to win an outright majority. Erdoğan normally would have become prime minister, but was banned from holding any political office after a 1994 incident in which he read a poem deemed pro-Islamist by judges. As a result, Gül became prime minister. It survived the crisis over the 2003 invasion of Iraq despite a massive back bench rebellion where over a hundred AK Party MPs joined those of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in parliament to prevent the government from allowing the United States to launch a Northern offensive in Iraq from Turkish territory. Later, Erdoğan's ban was abolished with the help of the CHP and Erdoğan became prime minister by being selected to parliament after a by-election in Siirt.

Party leader Erdoğan on a poster thanking the people for the election results.

The AK Party has undertaken structural reforms, and during its rule Turkey has seen rapid growth and an end to its three decade long period of high inflation rates. Inflation had fallen to 8.8% by 2004.

Influential business publications such as The Economist consider the AK Party's government the most successful in Turkey in decades.[50]

2004 local elections

In the local elections of 2004, the AK Party won 42% of the votes, making inroads against the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) on the South and West Coasts, and against the Social Democratic People's Party, which is supported by some Kurds in the South-East of Turkey.

In January 2005, the AK Party was admitted as an observer member in the European People's Party (EPP). However, it left the EPP to join the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) in 2013.

2007 elections

Voter base by monthly household income. AK Party is the largest party in group 1, 2, 3 and 4, while CHP is the largest in group 5, the richest 20% of Turkey.

On April 14, 2007, an estimated 300,000 people marched in Ankara to protest the possible candidacy of Erdoğan in the 2007 presidential election, afraid that if elected as President, he would alter the secular nature of the Turkish state.[51] Erdoğan announced on April 24, 2007 that the party had decided to nominate Abdullah Gül as the AK Party candidate in the presidential election.[52] The protests continued over the next several weeks, with over one million reported at an April 29 rally in Istanbul,[53][54] tens of thousands reported at separate protests on May 4 in Manisa and Çanakkale,[55] and one million in İzmir on May 13.[56]

Early parliamentary elections were called after the failure of the parties in parliament to agree on the next Turkish president. The opposition parties boycotted the parliamentary vote and deadlocked the election process. At the same time, Erdoğan claimed the failure to elect a president was a failure of the Turkish political system and proposed to modify the constitution.

The AK Party achieved victory in the rescheduled July 22, 2007 elections with 46.6% of the vote, translating into control of 341 of the 550 available parliamentary seats. Although the AK Party received significantly more votes in 2007 than in 2002, the number of parliamentary seats they controlled decreased due to the rules of the Turkish electoral system. However, they retained a comfortable ruling majority.[16] "Don't Stop, Keep Going On!" was the slogan of the Justice and Development Party in the general elections of 2007.

Territorially, the elections of 2007 saw a major advance for the AK Party, with the party outpolling the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party in traditional Kurdish strongholds such as Van and Mardin, as well as outpolling the secular-left CHP in traditionally secular areas such as Antalya and Artvin. Overall, the AK Party secured a plurality of votes in 68 of Turkey's 81 provinces, with its strongest vote of 71% coming from Bingöl. Its weakest vote, a mere 12%, came from Tunceli, the only Turkish province where the Alevi form a majority.[57] Abdullah Gül was elected President in late August with 339 votes in the third round – the first at which a simple majority is required – after deadlock in the first two rounds, in which a two-thirds majority is needed.

2007 constitutional referendum

A rally of the Justice and Development Party in 2007

After the opposition parties deadlocked the 2007 presidential election by boycotting the parliament, the ruling AK party proposed a constitutional reform package. The reform package was first vetoed by President Sezer. Then he applied to the Turkish constitutional court about the reform package, because the president is unable to veto amendments for the second time. The court did not find any problems in the package and 69% of the voters supported the constitutional changes. The reforms consisted of:

2009 local elections

The Turkish local elections of 2009 took place during the financial crisis of 2007–2010. After the success of the AK Party in the 2007 general elections, the party saw a decline in the local elections of 2009. In these elections the AK Party received 39% of the vote, 3% less than in the local elections of 2004. Still, the AK Party remained the dominating party in Turkey. The second party CHP received 23% of the vote and the third party MHP received 16% of the vote. The AK Party won in Turkey's largest cities: Ankara and Istanbul.[58]

2010 constitutional referendum

Reforming the Constitution was one of the main pledges of the AK Party during the 2007 election campaign. The main opposition party CHP was not interested in altering the Constitution on a big scale, making it impossible to form a Constitutional Commission (Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu).[59] The amendments lacked the two-thirds majority needed to instantly become law, but secured 336 votes in the 550 seat parliament – enough to put the proposals to a referendum. The reform package included a number of issues: such as the right of individuals to appeal to the highest court, the creation of the ombudsman’s office, the possibility to negotiate a nation-wide labour contract, positive exceptions for female citizens, the ability of civilian courts to convict members of the military, the right of civil servants to go on strike, a privacy law, and the structure of the Constitutional Court. The referendum was agreed by a majority of 58%.

Merger with People's Voice Party

In September 2012, two-year-old conservative-oriented People's Voice Party (HAS Parti) dissolved itself and joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with a majority of its delegates' votes.[60] In July 2012, following long-held speculation that former HSP leader Numan Kurtulmuş was on Prime Minister Erdoğan's mind as his possible successor as party head, Erdoğan personally proposed to Kurtulmuş the idea of merging the parties under the umbrella of the AKP.

Election results

Presidential elections

Election date Party leader Number of votes received Percentage of votes
August 10, 2014 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 21,000,143 51.79%

General elections

Election date Party leader Number of votes received Percentage of votes Number of deputies
November 3, 2002 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 10,763,904 34.26% 363
July 22, 2007 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 16,327,291 46.58% 341
June 12, 2011 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 21,442,206 49.83% 326

Local elections

Election date Party leader Provincial council votes Percentage of votes Number of municipalities
March 28, 2004 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 13,447,287 41.67% 1750
March 29, 2009 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 15,353,553 38.39% 1404
March 30, 2014 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 17,802,976 42.87% 818

Referendums

Election date Party leader Yes vote Percentage No vote Percentage AK Party's support
October 21, 2007 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 19,422,714 68.95 8,744,947 31.05 Yes vote
September 12, 2010 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 21,789,180 57.88 15,854,113 42.12 Yes vote

Footnotes

  • ^† "AK PARTİ" (in all capital letters) is the self-declared abbreviation of the name of the party, as stated in Article 3 of the party charter,[61] while "AKP" is mostly preferred by its opponents; the supporters prefer "AK PARTİ" since the word "ak" in Turkish means "white", "clean", or "unblemished," lending a positive impression.[62][63] The Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals initially used "AKP", but after an objection from the party,[64] "AKP" was replaced with "Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi" (without abbreviation) in documents.

Literature

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.yargitaycb.gov.tr/Partiler/Akparti.html
  2. ↑ http://www.uaces.org/events/conferences/cork/papers/abstract.php?paper_id=153#.VPMyn4cfnFI
  3. ↑ http://www.academia.edu/7305673/AKP_s_Conservative_Democracy_as_an_Empty_Signifier_in_Turkish_Politics_Shifts_and_Challenges_after_2002
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cook, Steven A. (2012). "Recent History: The Rise of the Justice and Development Party". U.S.-Turkey Relations: A New Partnership (Council on Foreign Relations): 52
  5. ↑ Göçek, Fatma Müge (2011). "The Transformation of Turkey: Redefining State and Society from the Ottoman Empire to the Modern Era". I.B. Tauris. p. 56
  6. ↑ Tocci, Nathalie (2012). "Turkey and the European Union". The Routledge Handbook of Modern Turkey (Routledge): 241
  7. ↑ http://www.daniellazar.com/docs/the_rise_of_muslim.pdf
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://arsiv.taraf.com.tr/haber-davutoglu-neo-osmanlici-degil-pan-islamist-162144/
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/akp-great-neo-ottoman-travesty-201451974314589207.html
  10. ↑ Taşpınar, Ömer. "Turkey: The New Model? (April 2012)". Brookings.edu. The Brookings Institution. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Çagaptay, Soner (2014-05-07). "Popularity contest – the implications of Turkey's local elections" (PDF). Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  12. ↑ Kurumsal Kimlik
  13. ↑ Duran, Burhanettin (2008). "The Justice and Development Party's 'new politics': Steering toward conservative democracy, a revised Islamic agenda or management of new crises". Secular and Islamic politics in Turkey: 80 ff
  14. ↑ Akdoğan, Yalçın (2006). "The Meaning of Conservative Democratic Political Identity". The Emergence of a New Turkey: 49 ff
  15. ↑ http://www.iuee.eu/pdf-dossier/12/VsjcpWMGTq1zMjSMgwnh.PDF
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "New to Turkish politics? Here's a rough primer". Turkish Daily News. 2007-07-22. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  17. ↑ http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/akp-gulen-conflict-guide.html
  18. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/30/turkey.nato1
  19. ↑ http://www.nouvelle-europe.eu/en/turkey-akp-s-hidden-agenda-or-different-vision-secularism
  20. ↑ http://www.reflectionsturkey.com/?p=436
  21. ↑ http://www.dw.de/support-for-muslim-brotherhood-isolates-turkey/a-17037906
  22. ↑ http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/04/24-turkey-new-model-taspinar
  23. ↑ http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/siyaset/185737/AKP_li_vekil__Osmanli_nin_90_yillik_reklam_arasi_sona_erdi.html
  24. ↑ http://www.islamianaliz.com/haber/iste-akpnin-yeni-secim-sarkisi-tam-bir-osmanli-torunu-reisle-girdi-kol-kola-davutoglu-ahmet-hoca-video/13121/
  25. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23044600
  26. ↑ http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Gezi-Park-protests-The-AKPs-battle-with-Turkish-society-316870
  27. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/21/turkey-blocks-twitter-prime-minister
  28. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26773702
  29. ↑ http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65490
  30. ↑ http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-last-chance-to-stop-turkeys-harsh-new-internet-law
  31. ↑ http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-anti-alcohol-jihad-akp.html
  32. ↑ http://www.todayszaman.com/op-ed_new-turkey-and-akp-type-capitalism_359666.html
  33. ↑ http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-tale-of-a-turkish-summer-is-there-a-link-between-occupy-gezi-and-the-imf/5339942?print=1
  34. ↑ http://politiikasta.fi/artikkeli/mass-murder-soma-mine-crony-capitalism-and-fetish-growth-turkey
  35. ↑ http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/presidential-system-tops-akps-election-campaign.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77644&NewsCatID=338
  36. ↑ http://haber.gazetevatan.com/0/122728/4/Yazarlar/73
  37. ↑ "Justice and Development Party". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014. Unlike its predecessors, the AKP did not centre its image around an Islamic identity; indeed, its leaders underscored that it was not an Islamist party and emphasized that its focus was democratization, not the politicization of religion.
  38. ↑ "AKP explains charter changes, slams foreign descriptions". Hürriyet Daily News. Istanbul. 2010-03-28. Retrieved 21 July 2014. In the Western press, when the AK Party administration, the ruling party of the Turkish Republic, is being named, unfortunately most of the time 'Islamic,' 'Islamist,' 'mildly Islamist,' 'Islamic-oriented,' 'Islamic-leaning,' 'Islamic-based' or 'with an Islamic agenda,' and similar language is being used. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us," Çelik said. "Yes, the AK Party is a conservative democratic party. The AK Party's conservatism is limited to moral and social issues.
  39. ↑ Taşpınar, Ömer (April 2012). "Turkey: The New Model?". Brookings Institute.
  40. ↑ Taşpınar, Ömer (September 2008). "Turkey's Middle East Policies: Between Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalism". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  41. ↑ "I am not a neo-Ottoman, Davutoğlu says". Today's Zaman (Turkey). 2009-11-25. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  42. ↑ "Erdogan’s AKP party joins Cameron’s conservative political family". EurActiv. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  43. ↑ Lagendijk, Jost (2013-11-12). "AKP looking for new European friends". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  44. ↑ Yinanç, Barçin (2013-11-19). "By abandoning conservatives AKP helps anti-Turkey bloc in EU". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  45. ↑ "Turkey mulls banning leading party before elections". EurActiv. October 23, 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  46. ↑ Gungor, Izgi (2008-07-22). "From landmark success to closure: AKP's journey". Turkish Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  47. ↑ "Closure case against ruling party creates shockwaves". Today's Zaman. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  48. ↑ "Full text of testimony". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  49. ↑ Today's Zaman, 19 August 2013, AK Party to ask for retrial by Constitutional Court
  50. ↑ "The battle for Turkey's soul (Democracy v secularism in Turkey)". The Economist. 2007-05-03. Archived from the original on an unspecified date. Retrieved 2008-07-22. Check date values in: |archivedate= (help)
  51. ↑ "Secular rally targets Turkish PM," BBC News, April 14, 2007.
  52. ↑ "Turkey's ruling party announces FM Gul as presidential candidate," Xinhua, April 24, 2007.
  53. ↑ "More than one million rally in Turkey for secularism, democracy". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  54. ↑ "One million Turks rally against government". Reuters. 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  55. ↑ "Saylan: Manisa mitingi önemli". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  56. ↑ "Turks protest ahead of early elections". Swissinfo. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  57. ↑ "Turkey: 22 July 2007 - Election Results". BBC Turkish. 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  58. ↑ "Turkish local elections, 2009". NTV-MSNBC. 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2009-03-29. |chapter= ignored (help)
  59. ↑ "AKP'nin Anayasa hedefi 15 madde". NTVMSNBC. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  60. ↑ HSP dissolves itself as its leader plans to join the ruling party
  61. ↑ "AK PARTİ TÜZÜĞÜ" [AK PARTİ STATUTES] (PDF) (in Turkish). Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  62. ↑ "Less than white?". The Economist. 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  63. ↑ "AK Parti mi, AKP mi? (AK Parti or AKP?)". Habertürk (in Turkish). 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  64. ↑ Ebru Toktar and Ersin Bal. "Laiklik anlayışlarımız farklı" (Turkish). Akşam, 2008-05-07.

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