Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
At Ankara Bar Association No. 2, President Gökhan Ağdemir withdrew his candidacy for reelection after boasting that his bar had helped 70 of its members become judges and prosecutors. At Istanbul Bar Association No. 2, the candidate backed by AKP and MHP groups lost the presidency by six votes.
After defeating the AKP in the 2024 local elections, the opposition set its sights on the presidency but the split and rivalry between the CHP and the Yeni Party are now weakening it by the day.
Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 joint production program because of Russia during Trump’s presidency; can it be taken back because of Russia yet again during Trump’s presidency?
A major arms fair in Istanbul exposed the tension between the Defense Ministry and the Presidency’s Secretariat of Defense Industries.
Internal friction among top economy officials came to light after a senior central banker dismissed the impact of political cycles on monetary policy. The remarks by Deputy Governor Cevdet Akçay triggered a sharp rebuke from pro-government figures and suggestions of a rift between the central bank and the Presidency.
Head of the Defense Industries Presidency (SSB) Haluk Görgün refrained from announcing a total export target for the defense industry, instead outlining project-based goals for 2026.
In their first call since unrest spread across Iran, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, that Turkey does not support any scenario involving external intervention in Iran, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency on Jan. 22.
Under the agreement signed between Turkey and the U.K., the £5.4 billion payment to the Eurofighter consortium for 20 Typhoon fighter jets was not included in either the Defense Ministry’s budget or the Defense Industry Presidency's (SSB) budget. The Defense Industry Support Fund (SSDF) can be used as a source of funding for this project, but the cost of the Typhoons is approximately double the annual amount transferred to the fund from taxes collected by the state.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan concluded a three-day tour of the Gulf region on Oct. 23, with official visits to Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, amid ongoing international efforts to continue the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. While Gaza and Syria reportedly dominated the private discussions, official statements from the Turkish Presidency did not reference these issues.
A wave of asset seizures and prosecutions has shattered old certainties about which business groups are in favor with the government. The detentions and confiscations – some linked to the corruption probes into CHP municipalities – are raising hairs across the business world with observers uncertain whether it’s a genuine anti-corruption effort, a move to redistribute capital, or a sign of an internal power struggle within the presidency.
The Turkish Presidency spent more than 32 million lira per day in 2024, according to financial records shared by the Court of Accounts. The annual total reached 12.57 billion lira, a significant increase over the previous year, BirGün reported.
The Ankara Municipality became the latest target of the crackdown against CHP-run municipalities, and CHP Chair Özgür Özel once again started highlighting Mayor Mansur Yavaş’s presidential candidacy. “Mansur Yavaş is seen as the strongest possible candidate if Ekrem İmamoğlu cannot run for presidency. Polls show he would beat (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan,” Özel said. “It is clear that Yavaş is also being targeted with the same intent.”