Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi

ENG - The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish political party, which describes itself as being conservative. The AKP portrays itself as a moderate, conservative, pro-Western party that advocates a liberal market economy and Turkish membership in the European Union. In 2005, the AKP was granted observer membership in the European People's Party. The AKP won 46.6% of the popular vote and was allocated 341 seats in the rescheduled 22 July 2007 elections. While the total vote share represented a massive increase over the 34% of the vote it received in the 2002 general election, the AKP ultimately garnered fewer seats as a result of the MHP passing the 10% total vote threshold necessary to claim parliamentary ...