Erdoğan Highlights Women’s Role in AK Party, Blames Opposition

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday attended the women’s congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), praising women’s contributions to Türkiye’s political and social progress while criticizing the opposition for past restrictions on women’s rights.

Addressing an enthusiastic crowd at the event, Erdoğan credited women for their role in the AK Party’s 22-year governance, emphasizing that the party did not conduct politics “for women” but rather “with women.” He recalled past discrimination against headscarf-wearing women in universities, workplaces, and politics, blaming the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for policies that marginalized conservative women.

AK Party’s Political Vision and Internal Stability

Erdoğan framed the AK Party’s congresses as a smooth transition of responsibilities within the party, contrasting them with the internal strife within opposition parties. “We are long-distance runners, strengthening democracy and Türkiye’s global position, not short-term players,” he said.

He also mocked the CHP’s internal turmoil, suggesting that the party was so consumed by power struggles that they would fail to notice even a major global crisis. Referencing the CHP’s ‘red card’ campaign, Erdoğan dismissed it as ineffective, arguing that the opposition had become a platform for marginal groups rather than a productive political force.

Erdoğan’s Criticism of CHP’s Past on Women’s Rights

In a direct attack on CHP’s past policies, Erdoğan recalled “persuasion rooms” in universities where headscarf-wearing students were pressured to remove their hijabs during the late 1990s and early 2000s. “O CHP! You were the ones who set them up,” he declared, arguing that the party’s newfound concern for women’s rights lacked credibility.

The congress marked part of the AK Party’s political momentum-building efforts following the March 31 municipal elections, as the party seeks to reconnect with voters and reinforce its grassroots support.