The 23rd anniversary of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was observed on Wednesday, with nationwide events. Celebrations at the newly inaugurated Congress Center of the party in the capital, Ankara, were central to the ceremonies.

The party’s founder and chair, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, addressed an audience of the party’s supporters and cadres at the Ankara event after screening a documentary about the accomplishments of the successive AK Party governments he led both as prime minister and president.

Erdoğan said the party started out as a groundswell movement and, in a short time, became a hope for millions. He stated that they were honored to serve the nation, which is aware of the state the country was in when the party won the first elections and the state of Türkiye today as he listed accomplishments. "We overcame many obstacles, from terrorist attacks to the (2016) coup attempt, but we never bowed down," he said.

"Since the day we set out from Pınarhisar, I have been deeply grateful to every individual in this noble nation who has embraced us, stood by us through every challenge and attack," Erdoğan said, in a throwback to his days in the said prison where he served a sentence for reciting a poem deemed criminal by the ruling elite that was behind a 1997 coup in the country. It was this coup and disillusionment with governments that came to power after it that boosted support for a new movement in Turkish politics. The AK Party was the result of this apparent public demand.

"The AK Party was founded by the people as a beacon of hope for the nation," Erdoğan told a crowd of fervent supporters, ministers old and new, and those who served in high ranks of the party in the past.

"We instilled confidence in Türkiye that no issue was unsolvable," Erdoğan said in his speech.

Wednesday’s event was also an occasion for the admission of new members to the party, including lawmakers and mayors. Erdoğan, who pledged a change in the party after losses in the March 31 municipal elections, renewed the pledge, saying they would act in line with the spirit of a new era. He urged those in the party "who felt tired" to give up their seats and said they always have a place for new people ready to serve the nation and embrace the values of the party. Among new additions to the party were Seyithan Izsiz and Ersagun Yücel, lawmakers who quit the opposition Good Party (IP) in recent months, and 13 mayors who won seats in the March municipal elections while running as independent or for opposition parties, such as New Welfare Party (YRP).

The president, whose new tenure he secured for four years will end in 2028, said their motto for the 23rd anniversary was "AK Party: Name of Hope, Future and Action."

"We are trying to shape the next century as well. Türkiye underwent a comprehensive transformation in 23 years thanks to the AK Party. We see significant changes in everything, from economic expectations to rights and freedoms and in new identities our youth is adopting. We have to act in line with these changes. We cannot miss the spirit of this new era. The AK Party is anchored in the heart of Türkiye in its policies. We are open to self-criticism and work to address our shortcomings. Our upcoming marathon for the Congress (convention) is the basis of the comprehensive change the nation expects from us. None of my colleagues at the party can afford to rest by feeling confident that they have a lasting place. We are the hope of this nation. Those dashing the hope cannot be tolerated. We cannot allow anyone to thwart our development. If people are tired, they should leave. Every one of my colleagues here should focus on the ways to serve the nation better," he said. "Our nation will appreciate our experience and efforts and will entrust the country to us again in the 2028 election," a confident Erdoğan told fellow AK Party members.

"The nation found itself in the AK Party. Only 14 months after the foundation, we were entrusted with the responsibility of governing the country," Erdoğan said.

In his speech, Erdoğan recalled obstacles the party and governments faced in the past two decades, from rallies by opposition supporters calling for a military intervention to a coup attempt itself by military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in 2016, as well as the notorious Gezi Park riots. "In every instance of the development of Türkiye in terms of economy, they attempted to stop us," Erdoğan said as he lashed out at critics of the party and certain powers. "We never bowed down to them," he added.

The president also touched upon ties with the opposition and said they would continue adhering to their reconciling, constructive approach in dialogue with the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which unfolded in the aftermath of municipal elections. "We will be only happy if the CHP ends its fight with the nation. Normalization is important for us," Erdoğan, who held several talks with CHP leader Özgür Özel in a rare dialogue attempt since March, said in his speech.

He acknowledges the problems Türkiye suffered, including its economy's woes. "We had shortcomings and flaws, but we never betrayed the nation," he said.

Erdoğan also spoke about foreign policy and reiterated his criticism of Israel. Warning about Israel’s attempts to spread the Palestine-Israel conflict to the wider region, he said they would oppose any attempt by the Netanyahu administration to set the region on fire.

He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a "guest of honor," would raise the voice of the Palestinian people in a speech at the Turkish Parliament on Thursday. He said Abbas had as much right to make the speech as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who recently addressed the U.S. Congress.

Challenges, wins

Though the political landscape in the year it was founded propelled the AK Party to the spotlight, landmark steps by successive AK Party governments helped it to stay in power for more than two decades. Those include breaking the taboo on several issues, such as the Kurdish question and a headscarf ban. Along the way, it faced lawsuits for its closure and several coup attempts. Erdoğan himself was barred from politics after he was imprisoned for 10 months for reciting a poem deemed offensive for the country’s ruling elite, which toppled a coalition government of Erdoğan’s political mentor Necmettin Erbakan in 1997. This ban only ended in 2003, and he became the second prime minister of the AK Party after a brief tenure by Abdullah Gül. Since then, he has served either as prime minister or president and is credited with expanding his party’s support to the wider public through a string of reforms in public services.

The party was first challenged to remain in power in the 2004 local elections. However, the sweeping social change that brought the AK Party to power as the voice of the previously unheard masses also brought its first municipal election victory. With a vote rate of 41.7%, the AK Party won seats in 1,765 municipalities. In the next general election, it further cemented its success by winning more than 46% of the vote. The successive elections were almost a carbon copy of each other for the AK Party in terms of the high rate of vote, despite fluctuations at times.

It was not an easy road to power for the party, though, amid strict opposition from remnants of military and judiciary tutelage. In 2008, the party faced closure, while Erdoğan and other senior figures faced political bans when the Constitutional Court approved pleas for the closure of the party. It ultimately staved off the closure at the end of the legal process.

Undaunted, the party did not step back from its goal of the prevalence of democracy. In 2014, Erdoğan had the honor of being the first publicly elected president of Türkiye after legal amendments advocated by the party were approved. In 2016, Erdoğan handed the seat of the AK Party leadership to Binali Yıldırım, who went on to be elected as prime minister.

In 2017, the party brought another major change to Türkiye. A referendum in favor of an executive presidential system was overwhelmingly approved by the public, also eliminating the clause that the president should resign from his party. In 2018, Erdoğan was elected as the first president of the new system.

Accustomed to the victories, Erdoğan faced a tough test in the 2023 elections. For the first time and in the face of an unprecedented alliance of the opposition, Erdoğan was forced to participate in a runoff election on May 28. Still, the public support apparently did not fade for the president, who won the runoff with more than 52% of the vote.