In September 2012, anticipating nationwide local elections in 2013 (later rescheduled) and a presidential election in 2014, members of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) held internal voting to determine who will guide them through the coming transition. Results from the convention, which were strongly influenced by Prime Minister Erdogan, indicate that the AKP will push to capture the full spectrum of conservative and far-right voters in Turkey over the next two years, which would all but ensure the party's dominance in the decade ahead.
In this new report, members of The Washington Institute's Turkish Research Program offer detailed biographical information on all of the party's current leaders, including prominent incumbents and new figures recruited from Islamist and center-right factions.
