Erdoğan pledges 'Century of Türkiye' reform agenda
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan celebrated the 24th anniversary of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Aug. 14, pledging to continue a reform program aimed at advancing the "Century of Türkiye."
“We are determined to establish a zone of stability. Now, we are preparing to take another step,” Erdoğan said during the anniversary ceremony in Ankara.
He outlined plans to gradually implement a reform program designed to expand democracy, increase freedoms and create a more effective state.
"With the Century of Türkiye reform program, we will progress much more rapidly toward our goals. As has been the case for 24 years, our reference point is the nation. We embarked on this journey solely to win the hearts of the nation," Erdoğan said.
"Today, we celebrate with great pride the 24th anniversary of our AKP, which was born from the heart of our nation and by the will of our beloved nation, and which has left its mark on a quarter-century of Türkiye with its cadres and works."
He described the party as a movement that "helps the fallen and supports the helpless."
"We celebrate with great joy the 24th anniversary of an Anatolian revolution, whose horizon and direction were determined by the nation... We share the justified pride of leaving behind 24 years, every page of which is filled with success."
"May our 24th year be a blessing for Turkish politics, to which we have breathed a fresh life, and for our brothers in the region of our hearts."
During the ceremony, nine mayors, including Aydın Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), formally joined the ruling party. Erdoğan welcomed the new members during the event.
In a statement on X, Çerçioğlu said that “despite repeatedly seeking a solution from the party’s authorities, we have been unable to reach a solution.”
“Due to the anti-democratic practices that have been taking place, as well as my fundamental principles of honesty, service within the framework of the law and uncompromising public morality... I no longer have the opportunity to follow the same path as the Republican People’s Party,” she said.
Çerçioğlu, 57, was reelected in last year’s local elections with 50.2 percent of the vote and has served as Aydın mayor since 2009. She previously held two terms as a CHP lawmaker.
Other new members include the mayors of Aydın’s Söke, Yenipazar and Sultanhisar districts — Mustafa İberya Arıkan, Malik Ercan and Osman Yıldırımkaya — along with Yasemin Fazlaca, the CHP mayor of Yalova’s Altınova district. Umut Yılmaz, the mayor of Gaziantep's Şehitkamil district who left the CHP in April, also joined the AKP.
Several mayors from other parties followed suit. Mustafa Kodal, the İYİ (Good) Party mayor of Isparta's Yalvaç district, and İsmail Akpınar, the mayor of Aksaray's Yeşiltepe district, previously of the İYİ Party, were formally welcomed into the AKP. Muammer Yanık, the independent mayor of Kastamonu's Bozkurt district, also joined the ruling party.
