Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Talent manager Ayşe Barım, on trial for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government in connection with the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was briefly granted conditional release under judicial supervision—until an upper court overturned the ruling and issued a new arrest warrant just as she was about to undergo a medical procedure.
As the Turkish Parliament begins its new legislative year on Oct. 1, attention will center on MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli—who launched the “Terror-Free Turkey” peace initiative a year ago—and on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks regarding its future. Following a 70-day recess, Parliament will convene with a special General Assembly session at 2:00 p.m. As usual, Erdoğan will deliver an opening address, though the CHP will boycott the ceremony in protest of recent mayoral arrests and crackdowns on municipalities. This year, the political spotlight will remain on post-PKK arrangements such as the “Return Home” law, the “right to hope,” and amendments to the penal code.
It was already known that the questions posed to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on board the presidential plane were pre-prepared by the Directorate of Communications. Media Ombudsman Faruk Bildirici has revealed, with concrete evidence this time, what has been an open secret. Bildirici received the full text of the questions and answers long before the conversation took place on the plane taking Erdoğan and journalists back to Turkey from Washington.
No decision was reached at the second hearing of the case against two leaders of the top business group TÜSİAD for comments they made in speeches. In court, Orhan Turan, chair of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD), and Ömer Arif Aras, Chair of the High Advisory Council (YİK), denied the charges against them and requested acquittal.
With the youth unemployment rate above 25 percent, Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan characterized jobless young people as the “other side” and blamed them for making “excuses” instead of accepting available jobs, stating that they suffer from a “perception disorder.”
The first meeting in six years between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House started with positive messages, as both refrained from directly addressing the issue of Gaza, on which they are at odds.Trump suggested the U.S. could lift sanctions on Turkey and allow it to buy U.S. F-35 jets, blocked due to Turkey’s procurement of S-400s from Russia, but added that he would like to see Turkey - a NATO member - stop buying Russian oil while the war in Ukraine continues. 'I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine.'
The High Election Council (YSK) reaffirmed its authority on Sept. 24, rejecting a civil court ruling that sought to halt the CHP’s Istanbul Provincial Congress just minutes before it began.In response to the 45th Civil Court of First Instance's last-minute suspension order, the YSK convened urgently and issued a clear statement: “A congress already in progress cannot be stopped.”
U.S. President Donald Trump will host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the White House on Sept. 25, shortly after both leaders attend the UN General Assembly in New York. Their talks are expected to focus on defense and trade, including Boeing aircraft sales, a major F-16 package, and the potential revival of discussions on the suspended F-35 program.
After the seizure of Can Holding Media Group, one of Turkey’s largest conventional media conglomerates, Kenan Tekdağ, chair of the Board of Directors, was detained in hospital, then placed under house arrest and banned from leaving the country.
The postponement of the decision in the lawsuit to cancel the CHP's 38th regular congress brought short-term relief to the markets. The BIST 100 index gained 5% following the decision. The banking index also gained over 6%. The risk premium reached 261 basis points, the lowest in about six months.
The firing tests of the armed unmanned surface vehicle Sancar, developed in collaboration between Havelsan and Yonca Technical Shipyard, have been completed in the Sea of Marmara.
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli called for a probe into whether a new “parallel” structure has infiltrated the bureaucracy, ahead of criticisms of the judiciary. In comments about juvenile offenders, he recalled how the Gülen Terrorist Organization had established parallel networks within the government to cause chaos.