AKP'S TRANSFER POLICY: SOME GAINS MAY BE GREAT LOSSES
In football, the transfer window closed Sept. 4. But in politics, it remains wide open as the AKP presses on with a campaign of seduction and coercion unprecedented in Turkish political history.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
ERDOĞAN'S MEETING WITH YAVAŞ IS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IN AKP'S MUNICIPAL PLAYBOOK
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş for the first time since the opposition took control of the capital amid rumors the mayor could be the next target of the judicial assault on opposition municipalities.
MELİH GÖKÇEK FILE: A REAL CLEANUP IN AKP, OR A SIGNAL AGAINST THE OPPOSITION?
In a surprising move, former Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek — long accused of corruption but never prosecuted — has been summoned to testify before the Organized Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on Sept. 4.
GOVERNMENT, DEM PARTY DIVERGE ON HOW FAST PEACE PROCESS SHOULD MOVE
The government and DEM Party disagree over how fast Turkey's Kurdish peace process should move, with AKP officials predicting the effort will extend into the new year while DEM Party, which will hold its congress Sept. 6, is pushing for results within a shorter timeline.
NEW BILL TO CLEAR PATH FOR BOOKING.COM RETURN AFTER 9-YEAR BAN
A new legislative proposal submitted by ruling party AKP lawmakers aims to allow foreign online travel agencies, including Booking.com, to return to the Turkish market under a structured legal framework after nearly nine years of suspension.
ERDOĞAN EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE NEW AKP MEMBERS
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to welcome new members into the AKP at the party's 25th anniversary event in Ankara on Aug. 14, with two sitting deputies from the İYİ Party set to join.
AKP AND DEM PARTY EXCHANGE BARBS OVER NETANYAHU
A reference to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks was enough to increase the tension between the AKP and DEM soon after the two’s cooperation on the framework law.
AKP PUSHES TO GAIN MORE SEATS IN ISTANBUL
The opposition's advantage in Istanbul's Municipal Council is decreasing while the ruling AKP and MHP are increasing their numbers.
WILL AHMET DAVUTOĞLU'S EXIT LEAVE A GAP IN TURKISH POLITICS?
The answer is no. Because seven years after breaking away from the AKP to found the Gelecek Party, it has become clear that the party itself has no future. Reading between the lines of his announcement that he will dissolve the party and step away from politics, one senses his acknowledgment that 'things are no longer working.'
END OF THE TWO-CAMP MEDIA AFTER CHP'S SPLIT
The 'two-camp' character of Turkey's media — a divide that long predated the AKP but sharpened under its rule — is shifting after the 'absolute nullity' ruling that is changing the dynamics of Turkish politics.
DEM PUSHES RULING ALLIANCE TO PASS PEACE PROCESS FRAMEWORK LAW BEFORE RECESS
The DEM Party is intensifying pressure on the AKP/MHP ruling alliance to pass the framework law underpinning Turkey's Kurdish peace process before parliament enters for its summer recess — even as the party struggles to extract details of the draft from the AKP. The push has produced a flurry of contacts. İmralı Delegation members Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, together with Faik Özgür Erol, met AKP Deputy Chair Efkan Ala and AKP Group Chair Abdullah Güler on July 15, and MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli at his office in parliament the following day. Asked about the talks, Buldan declined to elaborate: 'We will not give information on the content.'
PEACE PROCESS AWAITS THE LAW, THE LAW AWAITS ANSWERS
The peace process, dubbed the Terror-Free Turkey, now awaits the 'framework law,' expected to be submitted before parliament goes into its summer recess. There appears to be no consensus, however, on the bill's exact timing, scope and the conditions on the ground. While the process remains in the waiting room, the Interior Ministry took a concrete step, lifting thousands of search points and checkpoints in the terror-affected region. The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, through all its spokespeople, is asking 'what the law is waiting for.' But reading between the lines of AKP and DEM Party statements reveals disagreements at the draft stage.