News
Turkish Parliament head to begin leaders’ tour
Parliament head Cemil Çiçek will be meeting Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli June 9, in the first of a series of meetings in accordance with the process of working on a new Constitution.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m., and will be followed by a meeting between Çiçek and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Gültan Kışanak, which is set an hour later than the first meeting.
Opposition deputy banned from sessions after 'pumpkin' dig about Turkish president
Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Tunceli deputy Kamer Genç, who is known for his heated parliamentary rows with the government, has been banned for three legislative sessions for “insulting Turkish President Abdullah Gül” in a recent session.
Genç criticized Gül over the name of the Istanbul’s third inter-continental bridge, “Yavuz Sultan Selim,” an Ottoman sultan historically known for slaughtering Alevis.
Turkish PM to hold urgent Egypt meeting in Istanbul
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will hold a meeting to assess the latest developments in the Egyptian crisis at 4 p.m. in his Istanbul office.
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik, Deputy Chairman of the ruling Justice and Ruling Party (AKP), Huseyin Çelik, and AKP lawmaker Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will participate in the meeting.
Ruling AKP has taken over the judiciary, says opposition leader
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has filled the judicial branch to suit itself and is also filling positions of university and media bosses, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said.
Speaking at a meeting of the CHP’s parliamentary group, Kılıçdaroğlu slammed the prime minister for forcing his opinions on the country by controlling the judiciary, the universities, the media and the unions.
Coup reform is a concession for the PKK: Nationalist leader
The amendments recently proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the Internal Service Code of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are only a façade to give the impression that the legality of coups is being removed, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader has said. In reality, the changes are simply pretexts for concessions made to the outlawedKurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to Devlet Bahçeli.
Turkish government slams BDP for march on Kurdish issue
Deputy PM Beşir Atalay criticizes the BDP for calling on supporters to street rallies after the death of an 18-year-old in a clash with the gendarmerie
Turkish PM signals no lowering of election threshold
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğansignaled no withdrawal of Turkey’s 10 percent election threshold, while also adding that only 10 to 15 percent of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants have pulled out from Turkish soil so far.
During his address at the group of Wise Persons in Istanbul on June 26, Erdoğan said the government had no plans to lower the 10 percent election threshold.
Prime Minister Erdoğan is Turkey’s 'new dictator,' main opposition leader says
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become “the new dictator of Turkey.”
Process to pick Parliament speaker begins
As the two-year mandate of the current Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek will terminate on July 4, the election process for the country’s number two protocol is being launched today, which will also reshuffle the political party’s top executives at their parliamentary group administrations.
BDP and PKK are taking advantage of Gezi Park protests, Turkish PM's chief adviser says
The chief adviser to the Turkish prime minister, Yalçın Akdoğan, has accused the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of taking advantage of the wave of Gezi Park protests to increase pressure on the government regarding the Kurdish peace process.
"The BDP and PKK are trying to convert [the Gezi Park protests] into an opportunity. They intend to put the government under pressure in order to obtain benefits," Akdoğan wrote in his column published June 22 in daily Star.
Former minister says he won’t resign from ruling AKP
Former Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay delivered several messages to parties of a controversy over the Gezi Park unrest, including the ruling party of which he is still a member, and made clear that he had no intention of resigning from his party despite clear divergences of opinion between him and the prime minister.
Since the Gezi Park related anti-government protests were sparked in late May, Günay’s usually ambiguously-addressed tweets appeared to be criticizing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for its approach toward the incidents.
Government works on legal reform for Kurdish solution
The government has begun working on a package of legal steps to be submitted to Parliament about an initiative to find a political solution to the Kurdish issue, a Justice Ministry source says
The Turkish government has started working on a package of legal steps to be submitted to Parliament in the context of an initiative to find a political solution to the country’s painful Kurdish issue, a Justice Ministry source who asked not to be named told theHürriyet Daily News yesterday.
Turkish main opposition party to hold talks in Washington in July
A Republican People’s Party (CHP) delegation headed by the party’s deputy head Faruk Loğoğlu will pay a visit to Washington in July, before party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s visit to the United States as the party hardly criticizes the government about its stance over the Gezi protests.
"People Will Evaluate the Meeting's Results”
A delegation from Taksim Solidarity has been received by PM Erdoğan last night in Ankara. The government spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik made a declaration after the meeting, saying that they will wait for court’s final decision on the future of Gezi Park and go on a plebiscite no matter the outcome of the ongoing prosecution. He also pledged that the government will make necessary investigations on police violence and take necessary measures.
A delegation from Taksim Solidarity has been received by PM Erdoğan last night in Ankara.
Nationalist party leader warns PM not to polarize society
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahçeli urged the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan not to further polarize the society with his rhetoric and the recent rally decision the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has made.
Main opposition leader makes midnight call to president over Gezi Park protests
The main opposition party is planning to turn the Gezi Park protests and the government’s anti-democratic stance regarding peaceful demonstrators into an international issue with vows to take police brutality to the European human rights court.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is examining the legality of such a move, its spokesperson Haluk Koç told reporters during the social democrat party’s Central Decision-Making Council meeting June 12. It was the second MYK meeting June 12 following the first one, which took place in an extraordinary session at 1:30 a.m.
Ruling AKP dismisses rumors of early election after executive meeting
Rumors on an early election are completely unfounded, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Hüseyin Çelik told reporters today following a meeting of the party’s Central Decision and Executive Council (MKYK) in Istanbul amid the ongoing Gezi Park protests. Çelik confirmed that the parliamentary elections will be held in 2015 as scheduled.
Turkish opposition leader strikes out at PM Erdoğan’s late-night speech
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu struck out at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statements on the Gezi Park protests upon the latter’s arrival from an African trip.
During his speech late on June 6, Erdoğan said a lobby of interest groups was behind the protests, which started with a small sit-in gathering but turned into nationwide rallies within days.