Justice and Development Party: Difference between revisions

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The AKP was established by a wide range of politicians of various political parties and a number of new politicians. The core of the party was formed from the reformist faction of the Islamist Virtue Party, including people such as [[Abdullah Gül]], Bülent Arınç. A second founding group consisted of members of the social conservative Motherland Party who had been close to Turgut Özal, such as Cemil Çiçek and Abdülkadir Aksu. Some members of the True Path Party, such as Hüseyin Celik and Köksal Toptan, joined the AKP. Some members, such as Kürşad Tüzmen had nationalist or Ertuğrul Günay, had center-left backgrounds while representatives of the nascent 'Muslim left' current were largely excluded. In addition a large number of people joined a political party for the first time, such as Ali Babacan, Selma Aliye Kavaf, Egemen Bağış and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. All of these people joined Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to found the new party.

==Ideology==

Although the party is described as an Islamist party in some media, party officials reject those claims. According to former minister Hüseyin Çelik, "''In the Western press, when the AKP administration – the ruling party of the Turkish Republic – is being named, unfortunately most of the time 'Islamic,' 'Islamist,' 'mildly Islamist,' 'Islamic-oriented,' 'Islamic-based' or 'with an Islamic agenda,' and similar language is being used. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us.''" Çelik added, "The AKP is a conservative democratic party. The AKP's conservatism is limited to moral and social issues." Also in a separate speech made in 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, "''We are not an Islamic party, and we also refuse labels such as Muslim-democrat.''" Erdoğan went on to say that the AKP's agenda is limited to "conservative democracy".

Although the party is described as an Islamist party in some media, party officials reject those claims. According to former minister Hüseyin Çelik, "''In the Western press, when the AKP administration – the ruling party of the Turkish Republic – is being named, unfortunately most of the time 'Islamic,' 'Islamist,' 'mildly Islamist,' 'Islamic-oriented,' 'Islamic-based' or 'with an Islamic agenda,' and similar language is being used. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us.''" Çelik added, "''The AKP is a conservative democratic party. The AKP's conservatism is limited to moral and social issues.''" Also in a separate speech made in 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, "''We are not an Islamic party, and we also refuse labels such as Muslim-democrat.''" Erdoğan went on to say that the AKP's agenda is limited to "conservative democracy".

The party's foreign policy has also been widely described as Neo-Ottomanist, an ideology that promotes renewed Turkish political engagement in the former territories of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire. However, the party's leadership has also rejected this label.

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 The AKP was established by a wide range of politicians of various political parties and a number of new politicians. The core of the party was formed from the reformist faction of the Islamist Virtue Party, including people such as [[Abdullah Gül]], Bülent Arınç. A second founding group consisted of members of the social conservative Motherland Party who had been close to Turgut Özal, such as Cemil Çiçek and Abdülkadir Aksu. Some members of the True Path Party, such as Hüseyin Celik and Köksal Toptan, joined the AKP. Some members, such as Kürşad Tüzmen had nationalist or Ertuğrul Günay, had center-left backgrounds while representatives of the nascent 'Muslim left' current were largely excluded. In addition a large number of people joined a political party for the first time, such as Ali Babacan, Selma Aliye Kavaf, Egemen Bağış and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. All of these people joined Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to found the new party.
 ==Ideology==
-Although the party is described as an Islamist party in some media, party officials reject those claims. According to former minister Hüseyin Çelik, "''In the Western press, when the AKP administration – the ruling party of the Turkish Republic – is being named, unfortunately most of the time 'Islamic,' 'Islamist,' 'mildly Islamist,' 'Islamic-oriented,' 'Islamic-based' or 'with an Islamic agenda,' and similar language is being used. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us.''" Çelik added, "The AKP is a conservative democratic party. The AKP's conservatism is limited to moral and social issues." Also in a separate speech made in 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, "''We are not an Islamic party, and we also refuse labels such as Muslim-democrat.''" Erdoğan went on to say that the AKP's agenda is limited to "conservative democracy".
+Although the party is described as an Islamist party in some media, party officials reject those claims. According to former minister Hüseyin Çelik, "''In the Western press, when the AKP administration – the ruling party of the Turkish Republic – is being named, unfortunately most of the time 'Islamic,' 'Islamist,' 'mildly Islamist,' 'Islamic-oriented,' 'Islamic-based' or 'with an Islamic agenda,' and similar language is being used. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us.''" Çelik added, "''The AKP is a conservative democratic party. The AKP's conservatism is limited to moral and social issues.''" Also in a separate speech made in 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, "''We are not an Islamic party, and we also refuse labels such as Muslim-democrat.''" Erdoğan went on to say that the AKP's agenda is limited to "conservative democracy".
 The party's foreign policy has also been widely described as Neo-Ottomanist, an ideology that promotes renewed Turkish political engagement in the former territories of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire. However, the party's leadership has also rejected this label.