President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would make major changes in its structure before the 2019 elections, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
"We have been in a continuous struggle for the past 16 years since this party was created, and for the 15 years we have ruled the country," said Erdoğan, who also heads the party, while speaking at a council meeting in the Black Sea province of Giresun.
"The AK Party’s most important feature is its ability to renovate and renew itself," he added.
Erdoğan said that the 2019 general elections were very important, and a difficult period of struggle awaited the "country".
Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in November 2019.
He said he did not want the AKP to end up like those before it. "Starting with our organizations, we are determined to bring serious renovation and change to our party," he said.
Erdoğan elaborated that he did not want certain groups to infiltrate the party, without identifying the groups to which he was referring.
He retook the party reins at an extraordinary congress on May 21, 2017.
