İYİ PARTY BACKS EARLY ELECTION DEMAND
A second Turkish opposition party has voiced support for early elections, backing a call made by the CHP following a wave of detentions targeting CHP-run municipalities.
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İMAMOĞLU RAISES FIRST OBJECTION TO ANOTHER CANDIDATE
Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has for the first time objected to the possibility of another person becoming the opposition’s presidential candidate.
İMAMOĞLU RAISES FIRST OBJECTION TO ANOTHER CANDIDATE
Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has for the first time objected to the possibility of another person becoming the opposition’s presidential candidate.
CHP MOVES TO A NEW PHASE: POSITIVE PROPAGANDA
The main opposition, the CHP, has had a tough year of operations targeting its municipalities and lawsuits against its party congress. According to party officials, the appointment of Akın Gürlek — who oversaw the municipal investigations — as justice minister signals that the road to elections may become even more challenging.
SEEN BY TURKISH OPPOSITION AS SYMBOL OF INJUSTICE NAMED JUSTICE MINISTER
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reshuffled his Cabinet, appointing Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as justice minister, replacing Yılmaz Tunç. Gürlek has long been a target of the main opposition, dating back to his tenure as head of Istanbul’s 14th Heavy Penal Court, and more recently since his appointment as chief public prosecutor in October 2024, amid a series of high-profile court cases. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya was also replaced, with Erzurum Governor Mustafa Çiftçi named to the post. Gürlek’s appointment is widely viewed as a promotion
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.
ADANA MAYOR FREED AS LEGAL CASES AGAINST CHP CONTINUE
Legal pressure on the main opposition CHP continued as allegations of drug use were expanded to include relatives of Ekrem İmamoğlu’s wife, while prosecutors finalized a separate “political espionage” indictment against the imprisoned presidential candidate. At the same time, an Istanbul court ordered the release of a high-profile mayor held on corruption charges, marking a notable shift in the broader judicial process. As a significant development in the ongoing corruption trials, the court ordered the release of Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar, who had been in detention since July. Karalar became the first CHP mayor to be freed since the start of the Aziz İhsan Aktaş case on Jan. 27. Eight other employees of several municipalities were also released.
DIALOGUE OF THE DEAF: WHY KOS TALKS WILL CHANGE LITTLE
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos succeeded in angering both the government and the opposition with her stance towards the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, 2025.
NEW OPPOSITION TV CHANNEL TAKES SHAPE AS KOZA TV OPENS ISTANBUL HUB
Adana-based local Koza TV is preparing to establish a new Istanbul broadcasting hub, with recruitment underway, an effort to launch a new opposition channel with the support of the CHP.
PRO-GOVERNMENT JOURNALISTS WARN OF DIGITAL THREAT
After opposition media outlets closed one after another amid economic hardship, driven by changing policies of digital platforms — especially Google — prominent figures in pro-government media began voicing similar concerns.
CHP REVIVES NORMALIZATION STRATEGY TO BREAK POLITICAL GRIDLOCK
Turkey’s main opposition party is recalibrating its political strategy, reviving a discourse of 'normalization' in a calculated bid to dismantle the country’s deep-seated polarization and lure voters from the governing alliance.
REVISING THE PRESIDENCY: AKP’S NEW CONSTITUTION GAMBLE
The new civil constitution that the AKP has been calling for since the 2023 elections is set to become one of the key issues in the new year. Revising the presidential system, addressing the needs of a new peace process, and — inevitably — paving the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s renewed candidacy are the main pillars of this process. But any such changes would first require consensus within the party, and then support from the opposition.