Analysis

In-Depth Analysis

Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.

DISARMAMENT DELAYS COULD DERAIL DEM PARTY CONGRESS PLANS
Capital Currents May 15, 2026

DISARMAMENT DELAYS COULD DERAIL DEM PARTY CONGRESS PLANS

The PKK’s disarmament, which has now stretched beyond a year and a half, has stalled at precisely the most critical stage — the point at which the state is expected to take action. Unless the government softens its precondition that “the disarmament process must first be fully completed,” the expected legal steps will likely be postponed until the new legislative year in October. The risks posed by delay are being discussed and meanwhile it also appears set to derail the transformation plans of the DEM Party, which has already started the countdown to a congress.

Nergis Demirkaya
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
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
COMPLAINANT, WITNESS, AND DEFENDANT — ALL CHP
Inside Turkey Apr 23, 2026

COMPLAINANT, WITNESS, AND DEFENDANT — ALL CHP

A recent judicial operation that placed the CHP-run Ataşehir municipality under trustee administration has exposed something more damaging than any prosecutor's indictment: the party is being undone, in part, by its own.

Editorial Team
KURDISH PEACE PROCESS DOMINATES PARLIAMENT'S FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY
Inside Turkey Apr 23, 2026

KURDISH PEACE PROCESS DOMINATES PARLIAMENT'S FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY

The steps expected to be taken on the Kurdish peace process dominated discussions at the 106th anniversary of parliament's founding. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan insisted that the process was proceeding 'honorably' in reply to the pro-Kurdish DEM Party’s demand for bolder legislative action, while the parliament speaker blamed delays on missed disarmament deadlines.

Editorial Team
ERDOĞAN’S ELECTION PLAN
Capital Currents Apr 23, 2026

ERDOĞAN’S ELECTION PLAN

The CHP is seeking to win power but is trying to do politics while caught in a major judicial clampdown. Operations target municipalities on one front, and the threat of an “absolute nullity” ruling persists against the party center.

Nergis Demirkaya
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
AKP-DEM TENSION ESCALATES AMID STALLING PEACE PROCESS
Inside Turkey Apr 17, 2026

AKP-DEM TENSION ESCALATES AMID STALLING PEACE PROCESS

The question of whether Turkey's Kurdish peace process — officially dubbed 'Terror-free Turkey' — has hit a deadlock is being asked more frequently, as tensions between the ruling AKP and DEM Party escalate over who bears responsibility for the lack of progress.

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