AK Party
|
Justice and Development Party
Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Abbreviation | AK Parti (official) AKP (unofficial) |
| Leader | Binali Yıldırım |
| General Secretary | Abdulhamit Gül |
| Founders |
Abdullah Gül Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Founded | August 14, 2001 |
| Split from | Felicity Party |
| Headquarters | Söğütözü Caddesi No 6 Çankaya, Ankara |
| Youth wing | AK Gençlik |
| Membership (2015) | 9,399,633 |
| Ideology |
Conservative democracy Social conservatism Right-wing populism Economic liberalism Neo-Ottomanism Big tent |
| Political position | Centre-right to Right-wing |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours |
Orange Blue |
| Parliament: |
317 / 550
|
| Metropolitan municipalities: |
18 / 30
|
| District municipalities: |
800 / 1,351
|
| Provincial councillors: |
779 / 1,251
|
| Website | |
| akparti |
|
The Justice and Development Party (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi), abbreviated AKP in Turkish, is a conservative political party in Turkey. Developed from the tradition of moderate Islamism, the party is the largest in Turkey. Founded in 2001 by members of a number of existing conservative parties, the party has won pluralities in the five most recent legislative elections, those of 2002, 2007, 2011, June 2015, and November 2015. The party held a majority of seats for 13 years, but lost it in June 2015, only to regain it in the snap election of November 2015. Its electoral success has been mirrored in the three local elections held since the party's establishment, coming first in 2004, 2009 and 2014 respectively. The current party leader Binali Yıldırım is the Prime Minister of Turkey, while former party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan serves as the President.
Shortly after formation, the AKP portrayed itself as a pro-Western and pro-American party in the Turkish political spectrum that advocates a liberal market economy including Turkish membership in the European Union. The party has for a long time been supported by the Cemaat Movement of exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, whose influence in the judiciary has helped to weaken the opposition against the AKP. Having been an observer in the center-right European People's Party since 2005, it however left to join the eurosceptic Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) on 13 November 2013.
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