Binali Yıldırım's message on the 25th anniversary of the AK Party: 'The AK Party is not an ideological party'

Binali Yıldırım, a member of the AK Party Founders' Board and Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States, linked the emergence of the AK Party to the social expectations of the 1990s and local government experience in his assessment on the occasion of his party's 25th anniversary.

Yıldırım stated that the management performance displayed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his tenure as Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 1994 was later carried over to national politics, saying, "The success we achieved at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality actually paved the way to single-party government, to November 3, 2002."

In his assessment regarding his party's identity, Yıldırım explained the AK Party's rapid rise to power through the expectations of the public. Yıldırım stated, "The AK Party is not an ideological party; it is the party of the entire nation. In other words, it is a party born from the demands of the nation. The nation made us a party and later made us the government, giving us responsibility."

Yıldırım said that the years in power were spent not only on service-related issues but also on political crises. Referring to the e-memorandum process on April 27, 2007, Yıldırım noted that the response given at that time was centered on an emphasis on the ballot box and national will.

''Hey friends, mind your own business. The nation gave us the mandate. If there is a power that will remove us from this duty, it is the nation. And the place for that is the ballot box.''

FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AND MESSAGE ON THE CONSTITUTION

The topic of the fight against terrorism also stood out in Yıldırım's statements. Stating that the understanding of the fight against terrorism shifted from defense to offense during his premiership, Yıldırım argued that cross-border operations yielded results. Noting that approximately 2 trillion dollars were wasted and tens of thousands of lives were lost over 40 years, Yıldırım said that with the goal of a "Terror-Free Turkey," resources could be directed toward the welfare of the youth and the country.

Touching upon the discussions for a new constitution, Yıldırım expressed that the door could be open to strengthening local governments, but that there are red lines regarding the fundamental structure of the state. Yıldırım said, "The first 4 articles of the Constitution, the preservation of the unitary state structure. In other words, we are closed to things like federation, this, or that."