AKP LAWMAKERS PRESS MINISTER ŞİMŞEK FOR PENSION REFORM
During the AKP’s 33rd Consultation and Assessment meeting in Sapanca, lawmakers criticized Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek over soaring living costs and low retirement pensions.
Analysis
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RIFT INSIDE AKP SURFACES AS SOCIAL MEDIA FIGURE TARGETS PRO-GOVERNMENT MEDIA GROUP
A rift within the ruling AKP divulged to public view after Tamar Tanrıyar — a social media phenomenon, a Turkish-Armenian known mainly as the wife of a former celebrity journalist and the owner of a small television channel — released a video targeting pro-government Turkuvaz Media Group that owns Sabah newspaper and ATV television channel.
AKP QUIETLY STRIPS JUDICIAL PACKAGE OF CONTESTED CLAUSES
The ruling AKP submitted the omnibus bill known as the 12th Judicial Package to parliament. The draft law aims to increase judicial efficiency. However, the AKP group stripped the document of numerous highly debated articles originally proposed by the Justice Ministry.
AKP QUIETLY STRIPS JUDICIAL PACKAGE OF CONTESTED CLAUSES
The ruling AKP submitted the omnibus bill known as the 12th Judicial Package to parliament. The draft law aims to increase judicial efficiency. However, the AKP group stripped the document of numerous highly debated articles originally proposed by the Justice Ministry.
ÖZEL HAS THE CROWD, KILIÇDAROĞLU HOLDS THE SEAL, THE EXIT IS ANYONE'S GUESS FOR THE CHP
Turkey's oldest and main opposition party, the CHP, is now effectively divided in two after a court annulled the party's November 2023 congress and reinstated former chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in place of Özgür Özel. The split became more visible when both camps held rallies simultaneously at 2 p.m. on May 30. Kılıçdaroğlu returned to party headquarters to chants of 'Kılıçdaroğlu, the people's hope' — a stark reversal from just days earlier, when another crowd had branded him a 'traitor' and 'the AKP's hope' on May 24, reacting to the court-ordered change in the party leadership carried out with police support. The first head-to-head show of strength between the two camps laid bare a simple reality: Özel commands greater grassroots support, but Kılıçdaroğlu holds the formal authority to run the party.
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.
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.
WORLD IS BIGGER THAN FIVE—EXCEPT WHEN IT ISN’T
From Donald Trump’s perspective, he has just one interlocutor in Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. No criticism of the United States — no matter how harsh — coming from presidential advisors, the AKP spokesperson, the Foreign Ministry, or the MHP chair matters in the slightest to Trump.
ÖCALAN VISIT IGNITES COUP DEBATE
The parliamentary delegation’s visit to PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on Nov. 24 — involving MPs from the AKP, MHP, and DEM — reignited tensions and revived coup speculation. The ruling parties' silence further fueled the controversy.
TURKISH LAWMAKERS POISED FOR HISTORIC TRIP TO MEET ÖCALAN AS COMMISSION SCRAMBLES FOR LAST-MINUTE CONSENSUS
The parliamentary commission tasked with advancing the new peace process between the PKK and Turkey is heading toward a landmark meeting on Nov. 21, when it is expected to decide whether to visit Abdullah Öcalan on İmralı Island, where he has been serving a life sentence since 1999. Although the outcome in the 51-member body initially appeared certain — with the AKP, MHP, DEM, TİP and EMEP signaling support for the visit — shifting political dynamics have pushed discussions toward avoiding a formal vote altogether, according to last-minute reports ahead of the meeting. The move is seen as a way to ease pressure on parties — particularly the AKP and CHP, both facing internal sensitivities — even though initial reports had suggested the commission would hold a vote on whether to visit Öcalan.
PHOTOS REVEAL RIVALRY BETWEEN AKP AND CHP OVER OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES
The photos taken at the start of the new legislative year, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan posed with chairs of opposition parties, including AKP breakaways, in the absence of the CHP, revealed the contest between the AKP and the CHP to win their support. After the images went viral, Erdoğan renewed his call for a new constitution more forcefully, while his ally, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, insisted that the parliamentary commission visit PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı and urged Öcalan to call on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to lay down arms. The same day, slogans in Kurdish for Öcalan’s freedom — “Biji Serok Apo” — were chanted at the DEM Party’s group meeting. The party, which holds the third-largest number of seats in parliament, could significantly alter the political dynamics if it supports a constitutional change. While the photos of opposition figures with Erdoğan drew sharp criticism in the opposition media, concerned about alienating them, CHP Chair Özgür Özel personally called all opposition party chairs to ease the row.
CHP TARGETS AKP FOR PREPARING TO SELL RARE EARTH ELEMENTS TO U.S.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel said that rare earth elements in Turkey should not be sold to the U.S.