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The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) aims to conclude its “Century of Türkiye” meetings next week. The meetings, similar to preelection campaigns, began in August. The AK Party, in power for more than two decades, sought to expand its outreach with meetings that primarily focused on explaining the fledgling terror-free Türkiye initiative to the public.
The meetings brought together AK Party’s top officials and ministers with the wider public, opinion leaders and families of martyrs and veterans of counterterrorism efforts. By Sept. 15, the party plans to conclude provincial meetings in most places. On Sept. 25, the meetings will be held across Türkiye’s most populated city Istanbul, and on Sept. 26, they will officially end with an event in Istanbul, which will be attended by the party’s chair, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As part of the meetings, Erdoğan has penned a letter to be delivered to citizens assuring them about the party’s vision and progress in the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
“Century of Türkiye” is an ambitious plan consisting of reforms the party plans to implement in every field, from justice to energy independence, and was unveiled by Erdoğan prior to the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye in 2023.
The Sabah newspaper reported on Monday that highlights of the events so far have been questions about the terror-free Türkiye and the state of the economy amid the rising cost of living.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) when its leader, Devlet Bahçeli, implied that the government should facilitate access to the terrorist group PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, so that he could call the PKK to lay down arms. Bahçeli’s proposal was endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had earlier hinted at the initiative with messages of unity between Turks and Kurds. The PKK has long justified its campaign of terrorism as a fight for the rights of Kurds. Both Bahçeli and Erdoğan repeatedly said that ending terrorism and maintaining unity were essential for Türkiye’s “home front” in the face of Israeli aggression in the region, pointing to the fact that Israel may target Türkiye next as part of its expansionist policies. Öcalan responded positively to Bahçeli’s call and urged the PKK to lay down arms. In July, the PKK started the disarmament process with a ceremony in northern Iraq. The complete disarmament of the group is expected to conclude by the end of 2025.
The government and MHP portray the initiative as a process beyond politics and seek wider public support. They managed to include several opposition parties in a parliamentary committee that began work in August to tackle the initiative and prepare a road map for legislators in the next stage.
AK Party sources told the Sabah newspaper that the initiative is widely supported nationwide, and interest was particularly high in southeastern and eastern Anatolia, where the PKK launched most terror attacks and brainwashed Kurdish youth to join them in the past.
On the economic side, people are confident that the government, under the leadership of Erdoğan, would address the pressing issues, according to feedback the party received during the meetings, the Sabah reported. The government on Monday presented its closely watched new three-year economic road map that officials say aims to restore fiscal discipline, bring inflation down to single digits and accelerate structural reforms. The updated medium-term program (MTP) revised down growth projections and raised near-term inflation estimates, but despite the adjustments, officials emphasized that it remains focused on disinflation. The new economic blueprint expects inflation to slow to 28.5% this year and to 16% in 2026 before dropping to single digits the following year.
