SMALL BUSINESSES WILL PAY MORE TAXES
The tax burden for many small businesses will rise after changes announced in the Official Gazette.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
HÜRJET PASSES CRITICAL TEST
Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) jet trainer aircraft Hürjet has passed another milestone in the certification process by obtaining the Design Organization Approval (DOA) and Production Organization Approval (POA) certificates, Haluk Görgün, head of Defense Industries, announced on Sept. 10.
ÖZDAĞ TRIAL FOR INSULTING PRESIDENT POSTPONED
Zafer Party Chair Ümit Özdağ's trial on charges of insulting the president has been postponed until Dec. 24.
İYİ PARTY TO CHALLENGE 2017 REFERENDUM OVER UNSTAMPED BALLOTS
İYİ Party Deputy Chair Hakan Şeref Olgun said he is preparing to file a lawsuit contesting the 2017 constitutional referendum, in which the Supreme Election Board accepted unstamped ballots.
ERDOĞAN: NO TOLERANCE FOR STREET VIOLENCE
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that refusing to recognize court rulings amounts to openly defying the rule of law.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION MEETS UNDER SHADOW OF ÖCALAN MEETING
DEM Party Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit has renewed her party’s call for the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission to visit imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on İmralı Island.
HABERTÜRK AND SHOW TV SEIZED IN FRAUD PROBE
Authorities seized Habertürk, Show TV and Bloomberg HT, along with 121 other companies tied to Can Holding, after the Küçükçekmece Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for eight people, including owners Mehmet Şakir Can, Kemal Can, and Chairman of the Board Kenan Tekdağ. The suspects face charges of forming a criminal organization, smuggling, fraud, and money laundering.
CHP SHUTTERS ISTANBUL OFFICE AFTER COURT-IMPOSED CHAIR TAKES OVER WITH POLICE
After court-appointed interim chair Gürsel Tekin entered the main opposition CHP’s Istanbul provincial office under police escort, the party announced it would close the building and relocate operations to its Bahçelievler branch, notifying authorities.
KONUKSEVERLİK
Here at the tail end of the tourist season, the word of the week writes itself: konukseverlik, hospitality, or, in its Ottoman-tinted oldspeak, misafirperverlik. Every guidebook swears Turks are preternaturally welcoming; the national branding machine isn’t shy about it either. Yet while “hospitality” is the country’s trusty calling card, the numbers are more than brochure copy. Turkey received 23.6 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, marking an increase of 15.9% year-on-year, as tourism revenues hit a record $24.6 billion. By July, official arrivals had topped 31.2 million, the second-highest January–July tally on record.
SEPTEMBER STORM IN CHP: FEARS OF A SPLIT
September was expected to be tough for the CHP due to ongoing investigations and trials—but no one expected a storm of this magnitude. Having fought operations targeting its municipalities for the past nine months, the CHP is now shaken by the court decision that appointed a “trustee” to its Istanbul congress. CHP members, calling this a “new judicial coup,” saw the move as the extension of operations against municipalities into the party itself. Speculation has grown that a trustee could also be appointed to the party headquarters in the coming days.
CHP FACES NEW SETBACK AS COURT HALTS ISTANBUL CONGRESS PROCESS
Turkey’s main opposition CHP suffered a fresh blow as a court dissolved its largest provincial board in Istanbul over cash payment claims. The party now awaits either a Sept. 5 ruling by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) or a Sept.15 court hearing that could unseat Chair Özgür Özel’s administration. The CHP, which came to power at a November 2023 congress with the slogan “Change,” now risks being replaced by the team of former chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The 45th Civil Court of First Instance ruled that irregularities in the October 2023 Istanbul provincial congress were “approximately proven.” The court suspended provincial chair Özgür Çelik, the executive and disciplinary boards, and 196 delegates. Attention has now turned to another court set to review the CHP’s 2023 congress in Ankara. “The Istanbul decision is null and void. We do not recognize it,” said Özel, vowing not to hand over CHP’s Istanbul building to the appointed administration. The Istanbul administration also started a stage-in protest in front of the building for 24 hours.
CHP CONGRESS CANCELLATION HITS THE STOCK MARKET
Following the cancellation on Sept. 2 of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Congress, losses on the Istanbul Stock Exchange exceeded 5% within the day. The banking index dropped by more than 8% before rebounding.