ERDOĞAN EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE NEW AKP MEMBERS
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to welcome new members into the AKP at the party's 25th anniversary event in Ankara on Aug. 14, with two sitting deputies from the İYİ Party set to join.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
İYİ PARTY’S NEW COURSE UNDER MÜSAVAT DERVİŞOĞLU
The İYİ Party was the only party to vote as a bloc against the framework law on the Kurdish peace process. Its instincts on the nationalist right are already well known. But before turning to the party, it is worth dwelling for a moment on its chair. Let us begin with his name: Müsavat.
NİMET ÖZDEMİR: THE MP WHO NEVER WEARS OUT A PARTY BADGE
As the countdown to early or on-schedule elections picks up pace, transfers of lawmakers and mayors are happening at an astonishing pace. Among them, Istanbul MP Nimet Özdemir stands out. Özdemir won her parliamentary seat for the first time in 2023 — under the İYİ Party banner.
İYİ CHAIR REJECTS KILIÇDAROĞLU AS POLITICAL COUNTERPART
İYİ Party Chair Müsavat Dervişoğlu refused to recognize court-appointed CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as a legitimate interlocutor.
SEARCH FOR A THIRD WAY WIDENS AMONG CONSERVATIVE AND RIGHT-WING PARTIES
Efforts by conservative and right-wing parties to build a “third way” outside the ruling and main opposition blocs are gaining momentum, as Saadet Party and YRP — both rooted in Turkey’s first political Islamist tradition, the National View (Milli Görüş) shaped by Necmettin Erbakan — step up talks on election cooperation. The renewed contacts signal a shift in relations between the two parties, which had previously been at odds over the movement’s legacy following the founding of YRP in 2018. This time, the talks focus on bringing together Saadet Party, YRP, Gelecek Party and DEVA Party under a common framework, with a broader alliance that could also include the İYİ Party.
OPPOSITION NATIONALISTS: PROSPECT OF A COMMON FRONT
Is cooperation among nationalist parties possible? What are the prospects and obstacles? Turkish politics has been polarized into two main blocs since the transition to the presidential system: the AKP on one side and the CHP on the other. While the AKP kept parties like the MHP, BBP, and HÜDA-Par in its orbit, the CHP advanced by forging open or tacit alliances with the DEM Party and İYİ Party. But this opposition front collapsed after the defeat in the 2023 elections.
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.
2026 OPENS WITH UNCERTAINTY OVER KURDISH PEACE PROCESS
With the start of 2026, the future of the peace initiative on the Kurdish issue remains uncertain. The mandate of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, which includes representatives from all parliamentary parties except the İYİ Party, was extended by two months, and the commission has once again delayed finalizing its report, now expected in January.
İYİ PARTY CONDEMNS ÖCALAN TALKS
İYİ Party Chair Müsavat Dervişoğlu condemned the parliamentary visit to İmralı, calling it a “national disgrace” and asserting that there is no statute of limitations for what he described as betrayal. İYİ Party deputy Alpaslan Yüce resigned from his party, saying it had abandoned its founding centrist ideals.
NATIONALIST PARTIES PUSH BACK AGAINST İMRALI VISIT DEBATE
İYİ Party Chair Müsavat Dervişoğlu and Zafer Party Chair Ümit Özdağ directed sharp criticism at the MHP as political tension rose over whether a parliamentary commission should visit İmralı Island.
IS MERAL AKŞENER MAKING A COMEBACK?
You may ask, “Meral Akşener? Where did that come from?” It’s been a year and a half since she bid farewell to both the İYİ Party leadership and active politics. She has remained completely silent since. Yet, in recent days, an unexpected Akşener debate has been simmering—not in the headlines, but in İYİ Party circles. The discussion did not start with her; she has kept her silence. But when Esma Bekar—Akşener’s former chief of staff and perhaps the person closest to her—posted a message, the question suddenly arose: “Is Akşener returning?”
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.