Erdoğan’s appointments in AKP local branches following local election defeat reportedly lead to more problems

Turkish ruling AKP’s local administrations in 20 provinces have been changed after the local election defeat. However, these changes have led to more problems, as AKP deputies are struggling with the new cadres, journalist Nuray Babacan reported.

Saturday August 24 2024 03:24 pm

Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent local branch appointments for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) might have caused more problems within the party, journalist Nuray Babacan reported on Aug. 23.

Accordingly, Erdoğan changed the AKP’s local administrations in more than 20 provinces after the party’s defeat in the March 31st local elections in 2024.

In the election, the party could not become a leading party in an election for the first time since its foundation in 2001, following the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Babacan said in her column that some AKP deputies contacted their local AKP branches in their constituencies to make visits as the Parliament is in recess.

Babacan said, “A deputy complained, ‘I called the provincial administration and asked, 'I'll be in the province this weekend, what program are we going to do?' I got the answer, 'There is no program, there is no one here.' There is a complete disorganization’.”

“As the Parliament goes into recess, it is expected that politics would move to the constituencies and the problems of the citizens would be heard. At least this is how it used to be done. This connection seems to have been severed recently. Especially the stories about the lack of motivation in the ruling party are quite interesting,” Babacan said.

“MPs complain about provincial administrations that do not make programs for them, and provincial administrations complain that they are blamed for the election failure. More importantly, the MPs of the (same) provinces are also fighting with each other,” she added.

“A 'trustee of sorts' is being appointed before the (party) congress planned for next year. The congress process will be completed with these temporary administrations. There is no consensus among MPs. The head of the organization goes to the (presidential) palace with a few names. Among these names, Erdoğan appoints the one he deems appropriate,” she noted.