Türkiye's AK Party marks 23 years of success

Türkiye's Justice and Development (AK) Party is celebrating the 23rd anniversary of its founding, a period characterised by stability, progress, and election victories.

Established on August 14, 2001, AK Party burst onto the political stage under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan was first elected Prime Minister in 2003 and has served as President since 2014.

On November 3 2002, the party achieved a sweeping victory, securing two-thirds of the parliamentary seats — an outright majority unseen in over a decade.

AK Party participated in seven general elections —2002, 2007, 2011, 2015 — snap elections in November 2015, June 2018, and most recently, May 2023 — emerging victorious in every one of them.

Since the founding of the Justice and Development (AK) Party in 2001, under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye has emerged as a prominent player on the global stage, adopting a multidirectional and proactive approach to international and regional affairs.

Throughout the years, Türkiye has strengthened its ties with European, Turkic and Muslim nations, taking on a leadership role in regional affairs.

Moreover, Türkiye has expanded its relationships with other global actors, enhancing its standing on the international stage.

With this approach, it has started contributing to global problem-solving and playing a significant role in international organisations.

Here are some key successes of AK Party's 23-year tenure.

Under the EU Accession Process, Türkiye made significant strides toward European Union membership, initiating major political and economic reforms. The formal accession negotiations began in 2005, marking a milestone in Türkiye-EU relations.

In terms of mediation efforts in the Middle East, Türkiye played a key role in the solutions of regional conflicts, facilitating peace talks between Israel and Syria in 2008 and between various factions in Lebanon.

Türkiye also made efforts to minimise tensions with neighbouring countries through the "Policy of Zero Problem with Neighbours", which sought to resolve long-standing disputes and strengthen regional cooperation.

Economically, Türkiye expanded its global relations, particularly with countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, focusing on mutual benefit, opening new markets for Turkish adn African businesses and increasing Türkiye's global trade footprint.

Additionally, Türkiye surpassed prominent world economies, becoming the country that provided the most aid in proportion to national income, hosting war-torn Syrian refugees and participating in international humanitarian efforts.

Under AK Party, Türkiye positioned itself as a regional leader in energy, becoming an energy transit hub between East and West through mega-projects like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP).

The country also strengthened ties with the Middle East and Africa, establishing itself as an influential player in these regions through trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchanges.

Despite occasional tensions, Türkiye maintained and balanced its complex relationship with Russia, cooperating on energy projects like the TurkStream pipeline and managing crises like the Syrian Civil War.

Türkiye's proactive stance in global humanitarian initiatives, such as providing aid to Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and African nations and advocating for Palestinian cause bolstered its international image as a leader in humanitarian efforts.

In 2022, Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Deal, facilitating the safe export of grain and other food products from Ukrainian ports during Ukraine war. This further highlighted Türkiye's role as a crucial mediator in global crises.

These foreign policy successes have contributed to Türkiye's growing influence on the international stage under Erdogan's AK Party.

Economic success

Before AK Party, the Turkish economy was marred by many problems, such as extraordinarily high inflation, unbearably high interest rates, and constant unemployment combined with political instability.

After taking office in late 2002, AK Party has focused on ensuring macroeconomic and financial stability, emphasising fiscal discipline.

Government sunder Erdogan's rule have mainly adopted a regulatory role in overseeing the financial system, particularly within the banking sector.

Alongside fiscal discipline and active trade efforts, AK Party's early years in power saw other significant measures, such as removing six zeros from the Turkish lira in 2005 and reducing inflation to single digits. These actions were crucial in enhancing the Turkish lira's credibility in international markets.

Additionally, by 2013, Türkiye had fully repaid its debt to the IMF, having cleared 23.5 billion dollars in debt since 2002.

The early 2000s have been a time of economic boom for Türkiye. Between 2002 and 2007, the country's economy grew at an annual rate of 7.2 percent. This economic growth transformed Türkiye into one of the world's major emerging markets.

The country also survived the 2008 global crisis with minimum damage.

Since AK Party came to power in 2002, Türkiye's GDP has increased from $415 billion to over $1 trillion in 2024. On the other hand, per capita GDP doubled during the same period.

Achievements in defence industry

Türkiye also has taken significant steps and achieved major successes in the defence industry. The projects implemented and the successes achieved during this period have transformed Türkiye into a regional power and significantly reduced its dependency on foreign defence systems.

During AK Party's tenure, investments in the defence industry have increased significantly. While the budget allocated for defence industry projects was $5.5 billion in 2002, this figure reached $75 billion in 2023.

The budget allocated for R&D activities significantly increased, paving the way for technological advancements in the sector. Domestic and national production capacity has been enhanced, and new technologies have been developed.

Furthermore, substantial progress has been made in developing indigenous and national defence systems during AK Party era. Within this scope, the TF-X project, Türkiye's first Indigenous fighter jet, was initiated, and domestic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were developed.

UAVs and AUAVs like Bayraktar TB2 and ANKA have been effectively used in anti-terror operations, particularly against PKK/YPG and its offshoots, enhancing Türkiye's defence capabilities.

Additionally, AK Party government launched national ship and submarine projects to strengthen Türkiye's naval forces.

As part of the MILGEM (National Ship) project, Türkiye's first national warship, TCG Heybeliada (F-511), was commissioned in 2011. Significant progress has been made in submarine projects, and domestically produced submarines have been developed.

Significant successes were achieved in Türkiye's rocket and missile technologies during AK Party era. Domestic missile systems, such as SOM and ATMACA, have been included in the Turkish Armed Forces' inventory.

Furthermore, Türkiye's first national air defence systems, Hisar-A and Hisar-O, have been completed and are now actively used.

During AK Party's rule, Türkiye's defence industry exports also substantially increased. From $248 million in 2002, they reached $4.4 billion in 2023.

This success has positioned Türkiye as a global player in the defence industry.

AK Party strengthens democratic governance

The AK Party under Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched large-scale political reforms to further democratise the Turkish state and its institutions, aiming to integrate it into the EU.

But in 2007, when the country’s presidential election was scheduled in parliament, a political crisis emerged. The military issued an e-memorandum against the government led by Erdogan, voicing veiled opposition against the AK Party’s candidate, Abdullah Gul, whose wife wears a headscarf.

The e-memorandum came in response to a debate raised by some politicians and commentators, who defended a strict interpretation of French laicism, claiming that electing a president with a hijabi wife would undermine the secularist foundations of the Turkish state.

Unlike previous interventions, the Erdogan government did not cave into the military pressure and called a critical referendum in October to change the constitution to enact the rule of electing presidents by a popular vote.

The AK Party won a significant victory in the October referendum as 69 percent voted ‘yes’, favouring electing presidents by popular vote.

Many argue that this was a breaking point in weeding out the military’s influence in Turkish politics, as the AK Party also won a big majority in the July elections before the referendum. After this turning point, the military continued to lose ground against the civilian leadership.

In 2013, the AK Party government also revoked Article 35 of the army’s Internal Service Law, which gave the military a legal ground to intervene in civilian politics. The following year, Erdogan was elected the country’s president for the first time by a popular vote.

But again, on July 15, 2016, a failed coup attempt was launched by rogue elements in the Turkish army. These members of the FETO terrorist organisation, who aimed to infiltrate state institutions, made a desperate attempt to topple Erdogan through a violent coup.

Erdogan and his democratic allies won once again against the coup plotters. In 2017, Erdogan called another referendum to change the country’s parliamentary system to a presidential model, aiming to establish a firm political structure against any other military intervention.

The measure was approved, and Türkiye turned into a presidential system.

The coup era in Türkiye has completely ended, with uninterrupted democracy prevailing for 23 years. During this period, the AK Party emerged as the leader in all 6 general elections it participated in, further consolidating democracy in Türkiye.