The congress was held a year after the AK Party's third consecutive landslide victory in the 2011 general election.

The date of 30 September 2012 was set due to the AKP's usual timetable of holding its conventions in the Autumn every three years.

[1] The agenda was dominated by the AKP's anti-terrorism propaganda, with the Kurdish–Turkish conflict having claimed the lives of several Turkish soldiers in recent months.

Erdoğan's speech contained numerous poems, which drew tears from attendants at the congress according to press reports.

Erdoğan's speech also contained attacks against the main opposition Republican People's Party, which he accused of 'playing a role in every coup'.