TWO FACES OF THE PROCESS: DISARMAMENT, YES. DEMOCRATIZATION, NOT YET
Two years into the PKK’s disarmament process, fears of stalling have resurfaced. DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan put it plainly: “The pace of the process has slowed.”
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OPERATIONS AGAINST OPPOSITION MAYORS REACH MERSIN
Fresh judicial action hit opposition-run municipalities on Oct. 1, the day parliament reopened. Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer, Yenişehir Mayor Abdullah Özyiğit and Mezitli Mayor Ahmet Serkan Tuncer were among 59 people detained.
MISSING STUDENT CASE BACK IN SPOTLIGHT: COVER-UP ALLEGATIONS IMPLICATE OFFICIALS, PUT GÜRLEK UNDER PRESSURE
The reopening of a six-year-old cold case involving a missing university student has reignited the main opposition’s anger towards Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, as the recent reports show then–Tunceli governor Tuncay Sonel played a critical role in covering up the case of the missing young woman Gülistan Doku.
TUNCER BAKIRHAN: DEM CO-CHAIR RIDING THE EBB AND FLOW OF WAR AND PEACE
When war and peace are mentioned, the first person that comes to mind is the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and his novel of the same title, a cornerstone of world literature. In this work, Tolstoy renders war and peace with striking realism. World history, after all, is also a history of wars — and, inevitably, a history of peace.
EIGHT AKP PROVINCIAL CHAIRS STEP DOWN: WHAT DOES THE SHAKE-UP MEAN?
As politics remains focused on CHP, the resignation of eight provincial chairs from the ruling AKP has prompted the question: What is happening on the government side? The resignations of the provincial chairs of Çanakkale, Niğde, Adıyaman, Elazığ, Muğla, Ordu, Bitlis, and Tunceli—submitted within just 48 hours—were followed by statements from the party headquarters stressing that this was merely a “change of duties to take the party forward” and that “no criminal situation is involved.”
CO-CHAIR: DEM WILL REMAIN IN OPPOSITION REGARDLESS OF PROCESS OUTCOME
Ahead of CHP’s hesitations to join the parliamentary commission, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan said that the party will maintain its opposition identity even if the process is successful. Bakırhan stated that the matter will eventually be brought before the DEM and that they will not approve the constitutional amendment if it does not satisfy their demands regarding the Kurdish issue, democratization, women's rights, youth, Alevis' right to equal citizenship, economic justice, and the environment.