Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat has taken ownership for managing the EU’s “Made in Europe” initiative, which threatens Turkey with being shut out from the bloc’s new rules on supply chains and public procurement schemes.
The ruling party has rapidly rolled out compensation for some victims of the stock market scandal that is rocking the government, and cut ties with one former minister, while the main opposition Yeni Party links two sitting ministers to the affair.
The pro-Kurdish DEM Party has called for the peace process law to be freed from the “tutelage” of the National Security Council (MGK), as a delayed council decision holds up implementation.
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli called on parliament to officially take action to renew presidential elections for 2028, a move to pave the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to run again.
Ankara may nominate Feridun Sinirlioğlu for UN secretary-general, a Turkish official told Turkey in Depth, but the move hinges on a tentatively expected color-coded straw poll expected next week: if a permanent member signals a veto against frontrunner Rebeca Grynspan, Turkey is likely to propose its candidate.
At the beginning, he was not so sure whether having a co-chairmanship for COP31 would work well, confessed Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
For the first time in nearly five years, Turkey’s annual inflation rate slipped below 30%, giving the central bank room to consider easing monetary policy at its meeting on Oct. 22.
Scores of journalists, activists, and politicians gathered outside the Constitutional Court Oct. 7 to protest censorship of social media accounts.
Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay’s decision to join the AKP caused a major stir, bitter disappointment, and protests. After all, Izmir has long been regarded as a stronghold of left-wing politics. In fact, the city can be analyzed as “a city with center-right leanings that consistently votes for left-wing social democrats because of its opposition to the AKP.”
The court released four defendants, while informants who testified under effective remorse provisions refused to answer most questions from defense lawyers during cross-examination, claiming their previous testimonies were based on hearsay.
Ali Şekeroğlu, 60, took his own life outside the Constitutional Court while demanding a pay raise for retirees on Sept. 25. Şekeroğlu died by suicide with his own weapon.
OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu is testing the waters with the Security Council's permanent members for the post of UN secretary-general, although the regional rotation favors a candidate from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC).