ABSOLUTE NULLITY HAUNTS CHP’S NEW ELECTION CAMPAIGN
The possibility of a court ruling that might replace the CHP administration continues to overshadow the party’s campaign efforts to force the government into early elections.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
EU BAN ON DESTROYING UNSOLD CLOTHING COULD BENEFIT TURKEY
The European Union will begin implementing a ban on the destruction of unsold clothing as of July 19, 2026, and the Turkish textile sector, due to its geographic proximity and flexible production capabilities, expects the ban could be beneficial.
TRUMP IS EXPECTED IN ANKARA
Despite weeks of public speculation, four senior diplomats based in Ankara tell Turkey in Depth that the question of US President Donald Trump's non-attendance of the NATO summit is off the table and preparations are well underway.
BAYKAR SHOWCASES NEW KAMIKAZE DRONES
Drone factories will be established in all 81 provinces with the revenue generated from SAHA 2026.
CARREFOURSA SOLD TO A101, LIFESTYLE DEBATE IGNITED
Sabancı Holding and Carrefour Nederland BV sold their majority stake in CarrefourSA to Yeni Mağazacılık A.Ş., the parent company of the discount giant A101, reigniting debate over alcohol sales and lifestyles.
KURDISH PEACE PROCESS DOMINATES PARLIAMENT'S FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY
The steps expected to be taken on the Kurdish peace process dominated discussions at the 106th anniversary of parliament's founding. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan insisted that the process was proceeding 'honorably' in reply to the pro-Kurdish DEM Party’s demand for bolder legislative action, while the parliament speaker blamed delays on missed disarmament deadlines.
ERDOĞAN’S ELECTION PLAN
The CHP is seeking to win power but is trying to do politics while caught in a major judicial clampdown. Operations target municipalities on one front, and the threat of an “absolute nullity” ruling persists against the party center.
SİGARA / CIGARETTE
Sigara (and its unruly cousin, cigara) comes to Turkish via Italian — a linguistic clue that matches the prevailing historical account: tobacco reached the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century through Genoese trade routes, though some credit goes to the British. Origins aside, the word now points to a habit so entrenched it once traveled abroad as cliché: “smoke like a Turk.”
NEPOTISM, OR HOW TO DISMANTLE A FOREIGN MINISTRY
Each time political appointments in diplomacy are criticised in Turkey, the same defence appears with the reliability of a reflex: “Other countries do it too”. Perhaps they do. But mediocrity does not become wisdom once imported.
NEW COMMANDO BRIGADES TO BE ESTABLISHED
Turkey will assume command of NATO's Allied Reaction Force starting in 2028, and the TAF plans to increase the number of its commando brigades from 25 to 40 within the next three years.
COMEDIAN TUBA ULU DETAINED OVER JOKE ABOUT OTTOMAN SULTAN SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT
Turkish comedian Tuba Ulu has been detained after a clip from one of her stand-up shows went viral on social media.
TURKEY WORRIES ABOUT ISRAEL’S NEXT STEPS
Ankara is happy to see the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran as a significant first step, but worries it may not hold. The central fear focuses on Israel, which stayed silent through the night of negotiations only to issue a statement on Lebanon afterward.