The charismatic Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his political acumen and successful record.

Prior to the establishment of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan was a member of the Islamic Fazilat Party. He was also the mayor of Istanbul for a period of time, during which he was the embodiment of a new generation of educated Muslim politicians in Turkey. When the Fazilat Party was banned, this new generation emerged in the form of two new parties, namely the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi).
The Felicity Party decided to stay with the traditional line of the previous Islamist parties, but the AKP adopted a new approach in Turkish politics that was mostly oriented toward reform. Many AKP members were technocrats, and they won the majority of seats in the 2002 parliamentary election, which was regarded as a new beginning in the history of Turkish politics.
The victory was mostly due to the unique personality of Erdogan, who displayed good managerial skills and an acceptable political approach. Thus, Erdogan’s cult of personality is one of the undeniable factors in the AKP’s political success. Erdogan’s stature has also raised Turkey’s profile in the Middle East and at the international level.
There are four important factors that have led to the AKP’s success in Turkey: its political activities, the party’s performance in running the government, Erdogan’s stature, and his political record.
The AKP has also made some other major breakthroughs in its short history that can be summarized as follows:
----------The domestic arena
(1) Economic achievements: When the AKP came to power in 2002, Turkey was facing a major economic crisis that led to the collapse of the previous coalition government. However, by implementing a clear economic plan, the AKP curbed inflation and increased the value of the national currency. The country experienced economic growth for several consecutive years, and now Turkey is the world’s seventeenth largest economy. The ability to attract a greater amount of foreign investment, especially by Arab countries, was another key factor that led to the astounding economic growth.
(2) The Kurds: Better social and cultural interaction with the minority Kurds was another important achievement for the AKP in the domestic arena. The democratic development plan somewhat appeased the Kurds of Turkey through its objectives of promoting economic and cultural development and increasing the civil liberties of the Kurdish minority.
(3) Political reform: Amending the constitution was another objective of the AKP and its leaders. From the very beginning, Erdogan and other party officials were at odds with the military men of the deep state, and thus they have tried to make some changes to the law, which caused some political instability in Turkey.
-------- The international arena
Its successful foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, is another positive achievement of the AKP. In fact, the new Turkish diplomacy has helped the country realize its potential at the international level. Erdogan’s government adopted an assertive and interactive strategy, which resulted in a greater regional role for Turkey.
This new approach was used in dealing with issues such as Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq and also issues related to member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. With the exception of the cautious approach adopted in the case of Libya, the AKP has always tried to increase Turkey’s influence in regional and international issues. The policy of zero tension with neighbors, introduced by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, has led to greater cooperation between Turkey and other regional countries. The government of Turkey has more ambitious plans for the future, which can increase confidence in the country in the international community, resulting in greater foreign investment, especially from Arab states.
In the recent parliamentary election, in which the AKP won the majority of seats, the party again insisted that it would stick with the same line of policies in the future. Although Erdogan has been accused of adopting an adventuristic foreign policy, it appears that he and his colleagues will continue to implement their successful plans, which aim to elevate Turkey’s role in the region and pave the way for a smooth accession to the European Union.
Siamak Kakaie is an expert in Turkish politics based in Tehran.