ZELENSKYY VISITS ANKARA, AS A NEW TRUMP PLAN APPEARS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise day-long visit to Ankara on Nov. 19, at a time when press reports revealed the U.S. and Russia had prepared a new framework peace plan.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
FATİH ERBAKAN’S PREPARATIONS FOR POST-ERDOĞAN ERA
Political leadership here does not pass from father to son — at least not for the past century. Many have entered politics carrying their father’s surname; all of them sons. No daughter has ever tried. And almost none of these sons succeeded. Let’s count them.
CORRUPTION CLAIMS FADE AS INDICTMENT TARGETS POLITICAL GOALS
The indictment against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief rival, Ekrem İmamoğlu, not only accuses the jailed Istanbul mayor of corruption, but also targets the CHP, laying bare the political nature of the case. The charge sheet alleges that the CHP is being taken over by a criminal organization and on that basis prosecutors also notified the Court of Cassation that there may be grounds to close the main opposition party.
WHAT DOES ALİ BABACAN WANT TO DO?
In a political climate marked by constant clashes and shifting agendas — sometimes several in a single day — how did Ali Babacan manage to stand out? He attended both the opening of Parliament and the Republic Day reception, posing for photographs with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Suddenly, all eyes were on him. “Is he returning to his old party?” people asked. Some even claimed he was poised to become a minister again. He firmly denied those claims. Yet when similar criticism came from the CHP, he shot back sharply: “Come off it.”
DEADLOCK OVER COMMISSION’S VISIT TO ÖCALAN CONTINUES
The parliamentary commission formed to pave the way for a new Kurdish peace process remains stuck over whether its members should visit jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. A planned session of the commission has been postponed once again, even as hopes rise for the release of imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş following a third ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
NET TIGHTENS AROUND İMAMOĞLU IN FINANCIAL CRIMES INQUIRY
The pressure is mounting on Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his party CHP, with investigations about the corruption allegations now extending to his immediate family and allied journalists, as CHP Chair Özgür Özel tries to challenge the government by divulging the misdoings of Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek.
COMMISSION PREPARES TO DRAFT BILLS AS ERDOĞAN HOSTS İMRALI DELEGATION
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted the DEM Party’s İmralı delegation, as the parliamentary commission listened to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç for the first time since the PKK announced that all its forces in Turkey had begun withdrawing to northern Iraq.
MERZ: A CHANCELLOR IN SEARCH OF STABILITY
Friedrich Merz’s visit to Ankara marks a new phase in German-Turkish relations — the trip served domestic power dynamics in Berlin in political terms rather than through concrete agreements. The chancellor did not come because Turkey has fundamentally changed, but because Germany finds itself in deep economic and political uncertainty. By Ozan Demircan
AFTER CORRUPTION CASES, ESPIONAGE CHARGES KEEP PRESSURE ON CHP
The brief respite after a court rejected a bid to unseat main opposition CHP Chair Özgür Özel and annul the party’s 2023 congress has now given way to a widening espionage probe. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his campaign director Necati Özkan were rearrested on espionage charges, while a trustee was appointed to TELE1 television channel and its editor-in-chief, Merdan Yanardağ, was also taken into custody on Oct. 24.
WAVE OF CUTBACKS HITS TURKISH MEDIA AMID ECONOMIC TURMOIL
A series of layoffs, delayed salaries, office closures and suspension of broadcasts at Turkish media outlets has sparked alarm in the sector.
AS LONG-WAITED INDICTMENT EMERGES, CHP LAUNCHES COUNTEROFFENSIVE
Amid a sustained crackdown on opposition-run municipalities, CHP Chair Özgür Özel has begun unveiling alleged corruption within government-affiliated municipalities. Özel disclosed specific dates, figures, locations, names—and even codes linked to a secret witness—to support his claims. His announcement follows the release of the first indictment involving businessperson Aziz İhsan Aktaş, whose testimony led to the arrest of seven CHP mayors.
BULDAN’S ÖCALAN COMMENTS SPARK POLITICAL FIRESTORM
Pervin Buldan, head of the DEM’s İmralı delegation, faced strong backlash after relaying PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s criticism of media rhetoric and voicing a proposed delegation visit to İmralı Island, Oct. 10.