EYES ON PARLIAMENT FOR MECCA AGREEMENT
Despite opposition objections, the ruling AKP and its ally MHP hold a sufficient majority in parliament to pass the agreement.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
BARS BUILT FOR THE GOVERNMENT, LOST BY THE GOVERNMENT
At Ankara Bar Association No. 2, President Gökhan Ağdemir withdrew his candidacy for reelection after boasting that his bar had helped 70 of its members become judges and prosecutors. At Istanbul Bar Association No. 2, the candidate backed by AKP and MHP groups lost the presidency by six votes.
BAHÇELİ CALLS FOR PARLIAMENTARY DECISION TO RE-ELECT ERDOĞAN IN 2028
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli called on parliament to officially take action to renew presidential elections for 2028, a move to pave the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to run again.
BAHÇELİ BROKERS HANDSHAKE BETWEEN RIVAL TRABZON MOBSTERS
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli brought together Sedat Şahin and Burhanettin Saral at the party's Ankara headquarters on Sept. 26, ending a feud of more than 20 years.
ÖCALAN'S STATUS CLARIFIED ON THE PEACE PROCESS BY PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
Uçum said the role assigned to Öcalan should not be interpreted differently, and that the residence built for him on İmralı Island is an additional unit attached to the prison, after the reactions on the construction of a villa announced by MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli.
AKP PUSHES TO GAIN MORE SEATS IN ISTANBUL
The opposition's advantage in Istanbul's Municipal Council is decreasing while the ruling AKP and MHP are increasing their numbers.
DEM PUSHES RULING ALLIANCE TO PASS PEACE PROCESS FRAMEWORK LAW BEFORE RECESS
The DEM Party is intensifying pressure on the AKP/MHP ruling alliance to pass the framework law underpinning Turkey's Kurdish peace process before parliament enters for its summer recess — even as the party struggles to extract details of the draft from the AKP. The push has produced a flurry of contacts. İmralı Delegation members Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, together with Faik Özgür Erol, met AKP Deputy Chair Efkan Ala and AKP Group Chair Abdullah Güler on July 15, and MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli at his office in parliament the following day. Asked about the talks, Buldan declined to elaborate: 'We will not give information on the content.'
BAHÇELİ PROPOSES ‘PEACE COORDINATOR’ STATUS FOR ÖCALAN
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli’s call to grant the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan a title involving the word “peace” drew support from the DEM Party and sharp criticism from the right-wing opposition, as all eyes turned to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
PARLIAMENT SETS MINIMUM PENSION AT 20,000 LIRA
Parliament approved legislation raising the minimum monthly pension to 20,000 lira ($460), an 18.4% increase, with effect from January. The bill, benefiting about 4.9 million retirees, was adopted by the Parliament with the support of the MHP lawmakers amid barbed debate.
PEACE PROCESS UNDER SYRIA’S SHADOW
The expected has happened. The “new peace process,” now more than a year old, has fallen under the shadow of Syria. Map-altering clashes between the new Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose backbone is formed by Kurds, have driven a wedge between the AKP-MHP ruling bloc and the DEM Party in Turkey.
WORLD IS BIGGER THAN FIVE—EXCEPT WHEN IT ISN’T
From Donald Trump’s perspective, he has just one interlocutor in Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. No criticism of the United States — no matter how harsh — coming from presidential advisors, the AKP spokesperson, the Foreign Ministry, or the MHP chair matters in the slightest to Trump.
A HISTORIC FIRST: ÖCALAN’S MESSAGES IN PARLIAMENTARY RECORDS
Turkey’s Parliament witnessed a rare moment on Dec. 4 as a summary of notes from the recent meeting of three lawmakers with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan was read aloud and recorded in the parliamentary minutes. In the summary, he was not referred to as “terrorist” despite the decades-long reputation shaped by the state, nor as a founding leader of the PKK, as MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli — the initiator of the recent process — had defined him.