Erdoğan Unveils Ruling Party’s Roadmap for Reforms

“We have prepared the reform program for the Century of Turkiye. Thanks to our comprehensive plan, we will increase our country's growth potential and efficiency,” Erdoğan said at AKP’s eighth ordinary congress in Ankara.

A key part of the plan is an economic transformation that includes measures to strengthen public revenues, improve tax fairness and implement a long-awaited social housing project, he elaborated.

The president also promised to balance housing prices and rents and revise Turkey's higher education system.

Erdoğan highlighted population policies as another priority, vowing to address the country’s “alarming” growth rate and bolster the demographic structure.

“We will increase our population growth rate and strengthen our demographic structure,” he said.

He also revived the AKP's long-discussed proposal for a new and “civilian constitution."

Erdoğan and his party have long criticized the existing constitution for its origins in the 1980 military coup. 

The path to a new charter remains challenging as the AKP lacks the parliamentary majority needed to advance the proposal. It would require the support of more than 30 opposition lawmakers to take the process to a referendum.

Meanwhile, the congress confirmed the party’s central decision and executive board (MKYK) lineup, with 39 new appointments.

Notable figures appointed to the new leadership include Nebi Hatipoğlu, Seyithan İzsiz, Kürşad Zorlu, Dursun Ataş and Ünal Karaman, all of whom resigned from the İYİ (Good) Party.

Additionally, Nedim Yamalı and Serap Yazıcı Özbudun, both former members of the Future Party, are part of the new management team tasked with preparing the AKP for upcoming elections.

Among the high-profile names in the new cadre is former Turkish-origin German international footballer Mesut Özil. Longtime party members Hamza Dağ, Ömer Çelik, Efkan Ala, Hayati Yazıcı and Osman Gökçek were also confirmed in their positions.

“Here, names are mortal, the only thing that is permanent is the cause,” Erdoğan said. “Our party's policies are dynamic, its cadres are variable, but its principles are constant.” 

The congress was attended by 31 representatives from 16 political parties across 13 countries, along with 62 ambassadors and 34 mission representatives, including from EU member states. Diplomats from England, France and Spain also participated.