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TENSE OATH CEREMONY SIGNALS SHARPER POLITICAL ERA IN ANKARA
Deep Dive May 29, 2026

TENSE OATH CEREMONY SIGNALS SHARPER POLITICAL ERA IN ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğıan’s decision to appoint Akın Gürlek, a bogeyman for the main opposition CHP, as justice minister is the clear indication of a more bruising domestic politics ahead. The first sign of that came during the oath ceremony in Parliament. For the first time, a minister took the oath of office amid scuffles that escalated into pushing and shoving. AKP lawmakers formed what opposition deputies described as a “human wall” to shield the podium.

Editorial Team
HOPES INCREASE IN PEACE PROCESS AS IT MOVES FROM RHETORIC TO LEGAL GROUND
Deep Dive May 29, 2026

HOPES INCREASE IN PEACE PROCESS AS IT MOVES FROM RHETORIC TO LEGAL GROUND

Following the consensus between Syria’s interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), momentum has returned to Turkey’s long-running efforts to end the decades-long armed conflict and address the Kurdish question through political and legal channels. This renewed dynamic has also pushed the “right to hope” for PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan back to the center of the political agenda.

Editorial Team
SEARCH FOR A THIRD WAY WIDENS AMONG CONSERVATIVE AND RIGHT-WING PARTIES
Inside Turkey May 29, 2026

SEARCH FOR A THIRD WAY WIDENS AMONG CONSERVATIVE AND RIGHT-WING PARTIES

Efforts by conservative and right-wing parties to build a “third way” outside the ruling and main opposition blocs are gaining momentum, as Saadet Party and YRP — both rooted in Turkey’s first political Islamist tradition, the National View (Milli Görüş) shaped by Necmettin Erbakan — step up talks on election cooperation. The renewed contacts signal a shift in relations between the two parties, which had previously been at odds over the movement’s legacy following the founding of YRP in 2018. This time, the talks focus on bringing together Saadet Party, YRP, Gelecek Party and DEVA Party under a common framework, with a broader alliance that could also include the İYİ Party.

Editorial Team
CHP MAYORS FACE COURT AS WIDE-RANGING CORRUPTION TRIAL STARTS
Deep Dive May 29, 2026

CHP MAYORS FACE COURT AS WIDE-RANGING CORRUPTION TRIAL STARTS

Hearings have begun in a corruption probe involving municipalities run by the main opposition CHP, following investigations launched in March 2025. The case marks the first major trial stemming from the allegations, ahead of a separate prosecution involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu that is set to begin on March 9. The CHP’s legal strategy and the court’s approach to the defendants are expected to shape Turkey’s political agenda over the many years the trials are expected to take.

Editorial Team
ANKARA SIGNALS NEW OUTREACH TO YAZIDIS
Inside Turkey May 29, 2026

ANKARA SIGNALS NEW OUTREACH TO YAZIDIS

Turkey took a new step in its engagement with minority communities when a Yazidi delegation was received in Ankara by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.

Editorial Team
PEACE PROCESS UNDER SYRIA’S SHADOW
Capital Currents May 29, 2026

PEACE PROCESS UNDER SYRIA’S SHADOW

The expected has happened. The “new peace process,” now more than a year old, has fallen under the shadow of Syria. Map-altering clashes between the new Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose backbone is formed by Kurds, have driven a wedge between the AKP-MHP ruling bloc and the DEM Party in Turkey.

Editorial Team
WAGE HIKES FAIL TO CURB DISCONTENT AT GROWING ECONOMIC STRAIN
Economy and Finance May 29, 2026

WAGE HIKES FAIL TO CURB DISCONTENT AT GROWING ECONOMIC STRAIN

With inflation at 30.89% annually and 0.89% month‑on‑month in December, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the latest pension adjustments have ignited discontent among retirees. Most retired workers and tradespeople will receive only a 12.19% increase, while public servant retirees are slated for an 18.60% rise.

Editorial Team
SECURITY TALKS BETWEEN ISRAEL, GREECE, AND CYPRUS STOKE EAST MED TENSIONS
Foreign Affairs May 29, 2026

SECURITY TALKS BETWEEN ISRAEL, GREECE, AND CYPRUS STOKE EAST MED TENSIONS

The two consecutive meetings between the leaders of Cyprus’s Turkish and Greek communities, held after a five-year hiatus, generated cautious optimism about the prospects for renewed engagement. Yet this momentum is overshadowed by parallel efforts to consolidate trilateral cooperation among Israel, Greece, and Greek Cyprus.

Editorial Team