Turkey's ruling AK Party holds ordinary congress

The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AK Party is holding its fifth ordinary congress on Saturday, with incumbent Ahmet Davutoğlu being presented as the sole candidate for the party leadership.

Davutoğlu currently leads the interim administration, which will lead the country to the early elections on November 1.

A total of 1,445 delegates from across Turkey have attended the congress to welcome their new chairman. A huge crowd of party supporters have packed Ankara's Arena Sport Hall which has hosted the congress. A total 1071 buses have carried an estimated 40,000 party members from across Turkey to Ankara for the congress.

On his arrival to the congress venue, Davutoğlu was greeted by a cheering crowd which reportedly included 12,000 supporters of his party who gathered outside the Sport Arena.

Davutoğlu said the AK Party's supporters came to Ankara to show their support to those fighting against the terrorists. “They pushed the button to destroy all gainings of the AK Party government after the June 7 elections but the AK Party is still striving to create a new Turkey on November 1. The cadre of AK Party are taking further steps to the future," he said.

The congress have been covered by 800 reporters from 20 international media outlets and 50 domestic media outlets.

A number of political leaders from African, Asian and European countries and heads of international organisations have been invited to the congress.

Among the nearly 300 invited dignitaries are Ömer Kalyoncu, the prime minister of Turkish Cypriot entity, and Iraq's Vice President Ayad Allawi, the country's first prime minister in the post-Saddam era. Legislators of Turkish origin from Belgium Parliament and German Parliament, Buntestag, are among the invited guests.

Representatives from 220 Turkish non-governmental organisations and 11 political parties including pro-Kurdish HDP party were invited.

Abdullah Gül, one of the founding members of the ruling party which has been the sole dominant power on the Turkish political landscape, is absent in the congress. Gül, who was Turkey's 11. President, also served as the prime minister in the 58. Turkish cabinet.

The Sport Hall has been decorated with banners proclaiming slogans such as “Turn on lights so Turkey will be enlightened", and “One nation, one flag, one motherland and one state. The speeches, which will be released during the congressi will be translated into six languages including Russian, Kurdish and German languages.

The congress has been opened with playing the national anthem. During the congress, one minute of silence has been observed for the soldiers, who were killed during the clashes with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' party, or PKK.

AK Party took to power 15 months after it was founded in 14 August 2oo1. The party has formed five cabinets consicutively but lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 13 years. It remains the largest party, though.

Bülent Arınç, Köksal Toptan, Mehmet Ali Şahin, Cemil Çiçek – the part's heavyweights, held the post of Parliemant Speaker over the past years. AK Party's İsmet Yılmaz became the new Parliament Speaker after receiving 258 votes in the fourth and final round of the election.

The Party has held five congress including one extraordinary. It holds its ordinary congress once every three years. The last ordinary congress was held in September 30, 2012, according to the party's official site.

AK Party, held its extraordinary congress on August 27, 2014 after the party's former head Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won his country's first direct presidential election on Aug 10. The then foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, has become his successor in the August's congress.

Erdoğan has gained nearly 52 percent of the votes while his main rival Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu has received 38 percent of the votes. Erdoğan's third rival, Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtaş, has taken 9 percent of the votes.

Erdoğan has been a dominant power on the Turkish policy and was barred from running for a consecutive fourth term in the general elections due his pary's rules.