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
Following the March 31 local election defeat, President Tayyip Erdoğan made two strategic political decisions. The first was to continue with the Medium-Term Program under the responsibility of Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, hoping to overcome the economic crisis. The second was to spread out the internal review process of the election defeat within
I have no intention of targeting Mehmet Şimşek, the Minister of Treasury and Finance. Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members are already doing that enough. Despite the defeat in the March 31 elections, they act as if President Tayyip Erdoğan wasn’t the sole decision-maker and they had done everything right, still claiming, “If we
The Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court handed down heavy sentences in the Kobani Trial on May 16. The most notable were the 42-year sentence for Selahattin Demirtaş and the 30-year sentence for Figen Yüksekdağ, both of whom were co-chairs of the HDP at the time. Their sentences were the natural headline in media. Like the
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
The Democratic Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) emerged as the opposition party providing the most explicit support for the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) new Constitutional initiative. For instance, while the CHP leader Özgür Özel expressed a desire to see the proposal President and AKP leader Tayyip Erdoğan would bring forward, DEM Party
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara’s decision to completely halt trades with Israel aims to put further pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu government for ceasefire. “Our sole aim here is to pressure the Netanyahu administration into a ceasefire. Once a ceasefire is declared, the goal will naturally be achieved,” Erdoğan said on
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
On March 31, Türkiye will once again exercise its democratic right to vote in local government elections. Yet, this election transcends mere local political dynamics; it stands as a pivotal moment shaping the trajectory of Turkish politics at large. In the wake of the May 23 general elections, Türkiye’s political landscape is undergoing significant shifts,
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