At a meeting Wednesday (August 14) celebrating the 23rd anniversary of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for change in the party, making cautious reference to the party’s bruising defeat in local elections this past March.
At Wednesday’s AKP meeting, Erdoğan sat in a row with other party members instead of assuming his normal leadership at the head of the table. In addition to being president, Erdoğan has also served as AKP chairman since 2017.
In his remarks, Erdoğan called for fresh energy, saying those party members “who have become tired out should move to the side.”
Referencing the desire for change reflected in the recent election results, Erdoğan said: “Our party congress in the coming months will lay the groundwork for the comprehensive change that our nation expects of us.”
‘Normalization process’
Following the AKP’s electoral setback in March, Erdoğan had promised a period of ‘political softening and normalization’ which was expected to include meetings with opposition party leaders and a reduction in polarizing rhetoric.
While two significant meetings between Erdoğan and main opposition leader and Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman Özgur Özel took place in May and June, other political events in the interim, such as a harsh crackdown on May 1st demonstrations in Istanbul as well as the removal of a recently elected mayor in the majority-Kurdish Hakkari province had many doubting whether the president’s professed desire for political normalization would come true.
Erdoğan’s remarks Wednesday referenced this promised normalization process, saying: “Neither the recent normalization rhetoric from the current CHP chairman nor the reconciliation trickery from the former CHP chairman can be viewed outside the context of the party’s 23-year-long struggle.”
Erdoğan also called on the CHP to “come to peace with Turkey’s national values.”
Erdoğan references ongoing economic problems
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The president made reference to Turkey’s ongoing economic crisis, saying “We are well aware of our nation’s economic problems. Inflation has started to come down and as we previously announced, it will fall to single digits within the time frame we have previously specified.”
Although numbers from Turkey’s statistical institute TÜİK showed a drop in inflation last month, the Turkish Lira continues to lose value, and reached a record low of 37 TL to the Euro this week.
LGBT, family values
Erdoğan’s speech took aim at LGBT individuals, referring to “LGBT perversion” as well as decrying threats “Islam and the protection of the family.”
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
