Turkey

Turkish Elections: What’s Next?

After a close first-round result, what are the prospects for the forthcoming run-off vote and for Turkish democracy as a whole? On 14 May, 85% of Turkish voters turned out to vote for the president and national parliament of the country. Thankfully, no major incident occurred, and the electoral system …

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Turkey Elections: Erdogan, Kilicdaroglu court far-right endorsement ahead of runoff

Far-right candidate Sinan Ogan’s endorsement remains particularly critical for President Erdogan’s rival, with merely nine days to go until the presidential election runoff. Political traffic in Turkey heated up on Friday, as both President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, courted the country’s far-right electoral alliance ahead …

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US braces for another Erdogan era in Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the favorite to win Turkey’s hotly contested runoff election that will have implications for its relationship with Washington. Turkish voters will return to the polls later this month in a heated runoff election that will be watched closely by the United States. The Biden administration …

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Spring Remains on Hold for Turkey’s Opposition

The ‘springtime’ predicted by the opposition did not arrive in Turkey’s May 14 elections – and in the May 28 presidential run-off, the odds are stacked against them. “Spring will come again” was the motto of the opposition’s presidential candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. But Turkey’s twin elections on May 14 for …

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Erdogan thanks ‘dear friend’ Putin as Turkey extends Russia-Ukraine grain deal

The extension came as Erdogan prepares to face his rival in the presidential runoff election on May 28. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that the Black Sea deal that allows Ukraine, the world’s top grain supplier, to export to world markets would continue. The extension grants Turkish strongman …

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Turkey Heads Into a Critical Election Runoff

A return to a parliamentary democracy system—the opposition’s most important electoral promise—is highly unlikely if Erdogan remains in power. This would be bad news for Turkey’s Western allies. After a dynamic and unfair campaign, the interim results of Turkey’s dual election send the two main presidential contenders to a second …

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Turkish intelligence operation eliminates senior PKK/YPG terrorist

A Turkish intelligence operation in northern Syria resulted in the elimination of a high-ranking PKK/YPG terrorist, security sources said on Saturday. Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) “neutralized” Haydar Demirel, code-named Bager Türk and the terror group’s so-called general manager of the Hol province in northern Syria, according to security sources …

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China’s Response to Türkiye’s Volatile Authoritarianism

China has become a global power, but there is too little debate about how this has happened and what it means. Many argue that China exports its developmental model and imposes it on other countries. But Chinese players also extend their influence by working through local actors and institutions while …

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Turkey’s Policies Are Unlikely To Change Even If Erdogan Goes – Analysis

The groups in the electoral fray are all a hodge-podge of ideologies. The only issue is whether Erdogan should stay or go. Turkiye held its Presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously on May 14. According to the Anadolu News Agency, at 6.30 am on Monday, sitting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was …

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Turkey: Election Could Be Headed For Runoff

Turkey appeared headed for a runoff election after neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu received a majority of the vote on Sunday. However, Erdogan, 69, who has been in power for 20 years and is the country’s longest-serving leader, performed better than had been expected. With more …

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