One of the most significant headlines of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) meeting under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last Friday, was the renewal of the presidential system. During the meeting which took place on the same day as the party's 18th anniversary celebration in Ankara, it was announced that the new system would enter a renewal process.
AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik announced the MKYK's decisions regarding the 7th Extraordinary Congress process, recalling that President Erdoğan previously made a statement about the congress. Both the organizational structure and the working style of the party will be changed in accordance with the presidential system. It was stated that new approaches would be adapted and that a human repository was created from those who applied for the local elections and of which some names would receive an offer.During the party's 18th anniversary ceremony on Friday, Erdoğan pointed out the significance of the participation of new names in the party as part of the congress process and said, "We need to take more people to our organizations and administrations that are opinion leaders, to whom people will listen and who are influential. These have to be unifying people fitting the new system."
In the upcoming months, a period of training will start aimed at AK Party organizations. During this period, it will be explained how the party has to restructure according to the new system and new working methods will be revealed.
As a part of the renewal process, the AK Party administration had started to signal changes in the party's structuring after the March 31 local elections. After ratifying the 11th development plan for 2019-2023 on July 18, the Turkish Grand National Assembly recessed its work until Oct. 1. In this regard, programs in the provinces of Erzurum, Şanlıurfa, Nevşehir, Bursa, Afyonkarahisar and Samsun, mayors from around the country will receive training on leadership, public relations, effective communication, resource development, legislation, budgeting and personnel management. This program was launched at the end of July in Erzurum and intends create a report detailing the mayors' requests will be prepared and presented to the president.
However, this change will not be limited to some organizations and the provincial heads; it is expected that it will also reflect on the cabinet.
Efforts to reorganize local organizations, the party organization are carried out from more than one wing. Last week, Erdoğan started to visit constituencies, especially those where the vote rates were highest, in order to come together with the voters and listen to their wishes, suggestions and demands. "A new AK Party is coming," he said, indicating the process of renewal and preparation for the upcoming general elections in 2023.
The strategic action plans of the ministries will also be evaluated one by one in detail. It will be decided upon according to which calendar the action plans will proceed and which steps will be taken for matters of urgency.
Meanwhile, the AK Party also launched surveys to better understand the opinion of citizens about the presidential government system which has been in effect for a year. A comprehensive survey study was conducted to collect information from all segments of society. Citizens were asked to evaluate the first year performance of the new government system and to state their expectations about the future of the system.
On June 24, 2018, Turkey officially switched its administrative structure through an election and embraced the presidential system, leaving the parliamentary system behind. The presidency laid its hands on the issue and urged the State Supervisory Council to inspect the state institutions and determine what kind of reforms should be carried out and around which areas they are needed.