Turkey: Former chief partner of main opposition party rejects collaboration effort
The main opposition party, CHP, and its chief coalition partner in this year’s general election, İYİ Party, voted on an offer to collaborate in the upcoming local elections during their General Administrative Board meeting. Once a crucial part of CHP’s coalition against the Erdoğan government, İYİ Party rejected the electoral coalition offer through a majority […]
Key opposition coalition partner indicates electoral alliance will not reunite heading into 2024 local elections
Meral Akşener, leader of the conservative-nationalist İYİ Party, made a major speech on Saturday (August 26) in which she lamented the opposition’s loss in Turkey’s general elections in May. The speech followed an extended period of silence from Akşener in the post-election period, during which Turkey’s political discourse has been dominated by various voices attempting […]
Jailed politician Selahattin Demirtaş leaves politics after scathing letter to his party
Former HDP Co-chair and current political prisoner as defined by the ECHR, released a scathing open letter from Edirne High-Security Prison, hours before he announced that he would leave his political life behind. Demiratş has been imprisoned since 2016 despite an order from the ECHR for his release. In his letter, Demiratş criticized the HDP’s […]
What happened in Turkey’s election and what is next?
The first round of Turkey’s presidential election has come and gone, and the country is now four days into an intense 14-day stretch of campaigning before the runoff round on May 28. In Sunday’s contest, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan narrowly missed a first round victory with 49.25% of the vote. He was trailed by […]
Erdoğan provides update following concerns over health
After falling ill during a live broadcast on Tuesday evening (April 25), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration has provided several updates regarding the president’s health following two days of cancelled events. Saying that the president had suffered from a common cold, the updates from Erdoğan’s communication office sought to quiet rumors that he had […]
In message to young voters, opposition presidential candidate openly discusses religious identity for the first time
Main opposition leader and presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçldaroğlu released a video on Wednesday evening (April 19) that addressed young Turkish voters and discussed his identity as a member of Turkey’s Alevi religious minority group. Alevis are estimated to make up some 10-20% of Turkey’s population, and while Kılıçdaroğlu’s Alevi identity is widely known, the opposition leader has […]
Shootings and vandalism in İstanbul rattle opposition party offices in lead-up to the Turkish elections
Offices in İstanbul belonging to several opposition parties have seen a rash of attacks in recent weeks, as Turkey prepares for one of the most consequential elections in its modern history. The string of attacks started on March 31, when the İYİ Party office in İstanbul’s Zeytinburnu district was shot with bullets in the early hours […]
Disagreement over joint candidate selection preoccupies Turkey’s leftist coalition as candidacy deadline approaches
Political parties in Turkey this week face a looming Friday evening deadline from the Supreme Election Council (YSK) to submit their lists of parliamentary candidates for the country’s upcoming elections on May 14. As parties and coalitions finalize their lists, Turkey’s far-left Labor and Freedom Alliance, consisting of seven parties including the Turkey Workers’ Party […]
“Mr. Kemal”: meet the man committed to ending Erdoğan’s 20-year reign
On Monday (March 6), Turkey’s groups of six political parties that make up the “Table of Six” electoral alliance announced at an event in Ankara that Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had been selected as the group’s joint candidate to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the elections expected to be held in May. The […]
Opposition presidential candidate to be announced February 13
In an interview with Halk TV, Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu announced that the joint presidential candidate from the main opposition electoral alliance known as the Table of Six would be announced on February 13. Kılıçdaroğlu is himself a leading candidate for the role. The CHP is Turkey’s largest opposition party and it […]
This Week in Turkey (119): with Serhat Güvenç and Murat Utku on June 23 elections and S-400/F-35 crisis with US
Murat Utku shares his impressions from the ground and sheds light on the changing trends in AKP’s voter base ahead of the June 23 re-do vote in Istanbul. Serhat Güvenç from Kadir Has University comments on the latest developments in Turkey’s S-400/F-35 crisis with the US.
How and why has Erdoğan run out of words?
Why has President Erdoğan become less skillful in determining voter preferences? Could this be explained solely by the poor performance of the Turkish economy? Click CC in the bottom right corner for English subtitles.Broadcast date: 16 May 2019 Translation: Mert Erinç, Cansu Şafak, Edgar Şar, Alphan Telek, Oğul Tuna, Aylin YardımcıSubtitles: Egemen GökEdited by: Melissa […]