Erdoğan’s relative wants to build a pro-government militia
Amid declining public support and ahead of the upcoming referendum, Erdoğan’s closest circles take radical steps to stay in power.
Tagged AKP
Turkey: A case of Stockholm Syndrome
By Deniz Torcu
On November 1st, Turkey voted for the second time in five months. The Islamist right-wing AKP managed to increase its votes by a margin of nearly 10% and, thus, secured nearly 50% of the votes, whilst the…
Deadly blasts hit Turkey
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, was hit on Saturday, 10 October by two deadly blasts leaving 95 people dead and 245 injured. A pro-Kurdish political party, whose members were among those killed in the blasts, puts the death toll at 128, 120 of whom allegedly have already been identified.
What is going on in Turkey?
By Deniz Torcu
Hosting nearly 2 million Syrian refugees and serving as the crossing point into the European Union for many other hundreds of thousands, with unfortunate tragedies occurring on a daily basis, Turkey’s domestic unrest has been out of the spotlight for the past few weeks. Recently, the conflict with the PKK has brought Turkey’s domestic situation back to the spotlight, namely in the city of Cizre in recent days. As strategically important as ever, the current disarray in the country is even more relevant to the rest of the European Union. In the general elections earlier this June, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was dealt some harsh blows. Having lost the absolute…
Sultan no more
With 99 per cent of the Turkish election results out, it is clear that President Erdoğan’s AKP party has failed to secure the necessary parliamentary seats to singlehandedly change the constitution, initiate a referendum, or even form the next government. Mr. Erdoğan’s plans for amending the constitution and turning Turkey into a presidential republic with him at the help seem to have suffered a fatal blow. More than a defeat for Mr. Erdoğan, though, this is a victory for democracy in Turkey.
Turkey’s AKP party loses majority in surprise result
It was surely a night to remember for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his AKP party. The ruling party is set to lose its majority in the Turkish Parliament. Ever since he took office in 2014, and even as Prime Minister before, President Erdoğan has been looking to boost his powers, hoping to turn Turkey into a presidential republic. The results of the 7 June vote sink Erdoğan’s ambitions, as he suffers probably the biggest setback in 13 years of high-level politics. His power-hungry move, reinforced Islamization and eagerness to expand his reach appear to have alienated many voters who perceive Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a threat to a secular and democratic state
Turkey at the Crossroads: a turning point for democracy
By Deniz Torcu
For many people, seeing the president of a democratic republic, who is obliged to be “non-partisan” according to his country’s constitution, publicly bashing the main political opposition parties in government while waving a religious text in his hand is something that comes as a shock and is difficult to comprehend. For Turkish citizens, this is a regular day.
