The congress marked the last public appearance of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Prime Minister, as he assumed the Presidency the day after.

The congress took place at a time of significant change to Turkish politics, with the opposition Republican People's Party also holding an extraordinary convention on 5–6 September.

[4] The decision by the AKP Central Executive Committee (MYK) to nominate Davutoğlu for the leadership was taken in a three-hour meeting chaired by Erdoğan.

Two large screens relaying live footage of the congress, as well as pictures of Erdoğan and Davutoğlu, were placed outside the stadium for AK supporters.

In his speech lasting 110 minutes, Erdoğan vowed to keep fighting the "parallel state" which he claimed is formed by bureaucrats and judicial officials from Cemaat aligned with Fethullah Gülen.