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CTP SPILLS THE BEANS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS: FAVORS FEDERATION
Foreign Affairs May 8, 2026

CTP SPILLS THE BEANS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS: FAVORS FEDERATION

Following Tufan Erhürman’s landslide victory in the presidential election with almost 63% of the vote in Northern Cyprus, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP)—which Erhürman formerly led—is preparing to take power in the upcoming general elections, expected by January 2026 at the latest. Sıla Usar İncirli, 54, the CTP’s new and first female chair, said that the party favors a federation model as part of the search for a solution in Cyprus, and they have begun drafting their government program.

Editorial Team
ERDOĞAN AND BAHÇELİ MEET AS MHP UNDERGOES INTERNAL REORGANIZATION
Inside Turkey May 1, 2026

ERDOĞAN AND BAHÇELİ MEET AS MHP UNDERGOES INTERNAL REORGANIZATION

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli at the presidential complex in Ankara on April 30 for a closed-door meeting lasting approximately one hour. It was only the second face-to-face encounter between the two coalition partners this year — their previous meeting took place on Jan. 21— and the first in over three months.

Editorial Team
KILIÇDAROĞLU AND THE LEADERSHIP QUESTION IN THE CHP
Portrait of the Week May 1, 2026

KILIÇDAROĞLU AND THE LEADERSHIP QUESTION IN THE CHP

After Atatürk’s death, İsmet İnönü was elected Turkey’s second president and the second person to lead the CHP. He ran the party for 34 years, from 1938 to 1972. When CHP members elected Bülent Ecevit as chair at the 1972 congress, İnönü left the party, most likely with deep resentment. When he died in 1973 at the age of 89, he was not even a member of the CHP.

Anonymous
TENSION PERSISTS WITHIN MHP FOLLOWING DEPUTY CHAIR’S EXIT
Inside Turkey Apr 17, 2026

TENSION PERSISTS WITHIN MHP FOLLOWING DEPUTY CHAIR’S EXIT

The MHP, a key partner of the ruling alliance under the leadership of the AKP, has seen a new wave of internal restructuring as the party leadership dissolved multiple regional organizations following the high-profile departure of Deputy Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter.

Editorial Team
DEFENDANTS CONTINUE CHALLENGING CORRUPTION INDICTMENT ON İMAMOĞLU CASE
Inside Turkey Apr 17, 2026

DEFENDANTS CONTINUE CHALLENGING CORRUPTION INDICTMENT ON İMAMOĞLU CASE

The sixth week of the mass corruption trial of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 400 co-defendants produced some of its most dramatic courtroom exchanges. İmamoğlu and the presiding judge continued sharp exchanges while the municipality’s housing company, KİPTAŞ, chair Ali Kurt implicated senior government figures in a land scheme, and the European Court of Human Rights formally demanded answers from Ankara.

Editorial Team
ALL TALK, NO ACTION ON TURKEY'S KURDISH PEACE PROCESS
Inside Turkey Apr 10, 2026

ALL TALK, NO ACTION ON TURKEY'S KURDISH PEACE PROCESS

No legal steps have been taken despite calls across the spectrum for progress in the Kurdish peace process. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli both called for momentum, and the DEM Party co-chair Bakırhan turned the question back on the government: 'Who exactly are they talking to?'

Editorial Team
SEVERAL COURT CASES KEEP CHP UNDER JUDICIAL SIEGE
Inside Turkey Feb 27, 2026

SEVERAL COURT CASES KEEP CHP UNDER JUDICIAL SIEGE

On Feb. 23, four separate courts in Istanbul and Ankara heard cases involving the CHP congress, corruption claims by businessperson and confessor Aziz İhsan Aktaş, accusations about its provincial chair, and the trial of a party bus driver.

Editorial Team
ÖZEL CHALLENGES ERDOĞAN OVER BADGE AS AKP HOLDS BACK
Inside Turkey Feb 13, 2026

ÖZEL CHALLENGES ERDOĞAN OVER BADGE AS AKP HOLDS BACK

The CHP was shaken by the resignation of Ankara’s Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, but the political momentum shifted after the AKP did not move forward with his expected transfer, leaving him politically isolated. CHP Chair Özgür Özel challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to publicly pin an AKP badge on Özarslan amid speculation he would join the ruling party.

Editorial Team
TURKISH OPPOSITION VICTORY SHAKEN AS CHP CHAIR’S IMAGE TAKES A HIT, DOMINO FEARS GROW
Inside Turkey Feb 9, 2026

TURKISH OPPOSITION VICTORY SHAKEN AS CHP CHAIR’S IMAGE TAKES A HIT, DOMINO FEARS GROW

The Turkish main opposition, the CHP, has been shaken by the resignation of Ankara’s Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, who is expected to join the ruling AKP soon. The move has added to growing signs that the CHP’s post-election momentum is under strain, compounded by profane WhatsApp messages sent by party Chair Özgür Özel shortly before the resignation was announced and later leaked online.

Editorial Team