ISTANBUL GOVERNORSHIP CANCELS ENRICO MACIAS CONCERT
Istanbul’s governorship has cancelled a Sept. 5 concert by French-Algerian singer Enrico Macias at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater following calls on social media to protest the event.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
ÖZEL PULLS NO PUNCHES ON JUDICIARY
CHP Chair Özgür Özel sharply attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during a protest over the arrest of Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney.
ÖZEL FIRES BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS ON AKP ANNIVERSARY
CHP Chair Özgür Özel sparked a political storm by accusing a senior AKP figure of bribing a businessperson to testify against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The CHP leader also suggested that the AKP had used dirty tricks to push CHP Aydın Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu to transfer to the AKP on the 24th anniversary of the ruling party. Just two hours before the AKP’s celebrations, Özel said that former AKP Central Decision and Executive Board member and lawyer Mücahit Birinci asked imprisoned businessperson Murat Kapki to pay $2 million and promised his release in return for signing a false statement.
CHP BATTLES ON ALL FRONTS
As the crackdown on CHP municipalities deepened with the detention of even private drivers, the party has remained defiant—pressing forward with rallies, contesting disinformation, visiting imprisoned members, and calling for early elections, which it frames as a fight against a “civilian coup.”
WHO IS LEADING THE POLLS?
CHP Chair Özgür Özel and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s latest disagreement is over which party is leading the polls. Since the March 2024 local elections, Özel has said the CHP is the most popular party.
HALKI EMERGES AGAIN AS A TEST OF TURKEY’S RELIGIOUS POLITICS
A historic sanatorium on Heybeliada — the island also known as Halki — is set to be transferred to the Directorate of Religious Affairs for the second time, after a previous transfer was annulled by a court. The move comes as the same island is at the center of another religious question: the possible reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary.
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.
TWO MOST CHALLENGING PILLARS OF PEACE PROCESS
The Terror-Free Turkey process, widely dubbed as frozen or stalled, has been revived by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s latest remarks. Erdoğan said the process, now entering its 18th month, has reached a critical juncture requiring much more delicate management: “There is a positive atmosphere. What needs to be done is clear. The process is proceeding as it should.”
MINERS WIN RIGHTS FIGHT, CALL ON WORKERS TO RESIST
More than a hundred coal miners at Doruk Madencilik have won their struggle for unpaid wages and benefits after a protest that resonated across the country
TURKEY KEEPS AN EYE ON PARALLELS IN HUNGARIAN POLLS
Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12 — described as the toughest test of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule — will be closely watched not only in Europe but also in Turkey by both the AKP and the opposition.
STM UNVEILS LONG-RANGE KAMIKAZE UAV
While Iran is extensively using kamikaze UAVs in its attacks in the conflict with Israeli and US forces, STM (Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc.), announced that it had conducted the first test flight of its new long-range kamikaze UAV.
SOM-J TO BEGIN MASS PRODUCTION
Following test firings on March 21, the SOM-J cruise missile is now ready to move into mass production.