The mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district, Rıza Akpolat from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been arrested and suspended from his duties, marking a significant escalation in Türkiye’s political tensions. The Ministry of Interior announced Akpolat’s suspension from his position as a “temporary measure” following his arrest on charges of “membership in a criminal
In light of recent developments, the CHP Central Headquarters is running out of options: as consecutive lawsuits mount against its mayors, the party is force to spent all its energy on defending them. The latest example was the detention of İstanbul’s Beşiktaş district Mayor Rıza Akpolat on corruption charges. CHP’s pledge to take to the
When President Tayyip Erdoğan began reciting the opening verses of Surah Al-Fath in Arabic during his Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on December 25, amid chants of “Conqueror of Syria,” I wrote in my notebook “We’re going into Syria.” However, launching an operation against the PKK/YPG in Syria is one thing; conquest
I wonder if it’s appropriate to describe the conspicuously close relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, as a “bromance.” This was on full display during the 953rd-anniversary celebrations of the Malazgirt Victory on August 26 in Ahlat, much to the chagrin of their opponents. Perhaps “strategic alliance” would be a
Devlet means state in Turkish and “Devlet (State) will come to the head of the state!” was one of the most striking slogans of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) before Devlet Bahçeli moved from the opposition ranks to the AKP government ranks via the People’s Alliance, supporting President Tayyip Erdoğan. It’s no longer used, but
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his ruling partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader, Devlet Bahçeli, at the Presidential Complex on May 10, marking a significant encounter amidst ongoing political dialogues against the backdrop of calls for political ‘normalization’. The 1-hour meeting between Erdoğan and Bahçeli followed their last rendezvous on April 29. The last
President Tayyip Erdoğan is using the constitutional amendment as a smokescreen to obscure and distract attention from the major problems ahead. On the night of April 28, days before Erdoğan’s meeting with CHP leader Özgür Özel, Chief Legal Advisor Mehmet Uçum published the text “What could be the main principles of the new constitution”, which
Meral Akşener followed a line similar to that followed in Western democracies, albeit with some delay. First, she declared an extraordinary congress for the İYİ (Good) Party, giving herself a margin of error regarding the defeat of the opposition block in the 2023 elections. In the 2024 -local- elections, she took the failure of
The disarray following the CHP’s electoral victory is not only evident in previously AK Party-held municipalities but also within the AKP headquarters and local branches, portraying a sobering sight. The last-minute traders or those attempting to shred documents, the significant effort by Mehmet Uçum, one of the President’s Advisors, to hinder the complete dismantling of
We are heading towards one of the most unfair and unequal elections in our history on March 31st. Despite its being a local elections, its results will have profound effects on Turkish poltical landscape, especially in Istanbul. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seems to have mobilized the entire state machinery to prevent the re-election of Istanbul’s