Politics
2025: A year of terror-free Türkiye and crack down on corruption
In a year without elections, Turkish politics had its fair share of turbulence and fast-paced developments. Undoubtedly, highlights of the year for politicians from all parties were new phases in the terror-free Türkiye initiative, and the arrest and detention of mayors of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on charges of corruption.
For the terror-free Türkiye initiative, the year began on a positive note as a delegation from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) met Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on Jan. 2. The meeting was significant as the delegation had recently returned from a meeting with the jailed ringleader of the PKK terrorist group and it was another rare get-together for two parties whose ideologies probably had the sharpest contrast. It was, however, just part of the initiative, which, quite strikingly, was engineered by the MHP, a party that long defended strict military measures to eliminate the PKK. The DEM Party, on the other hand, adhered to an unwavering pro-PKK stance for a long time, criticizing operations against the group.
The Bahçeli-DEM Party meeting, a continuation of outreach between the two sides that began when Bahçeli unexpectedly shook hands with DEM Party lawmakers and unveiled the then-unnamed terror-free Türkiye initiative in the last months of 2024.
It was also the shape of things to come, just like the arrest of Rıza Akpolat, mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district, who was detained on Jan. 13, along with other bureaucrats of the municipality run by the CHP and Aziz Ihsan Aktaş, a businessperson who was accused of securing tenders from CHP-run municipalities in exchange for bribes. The public would later find out that it was just the tip of the iceberg regarding the corruption engulfing CHP’s municipalities. On Feb. 27, the mayor of Istanbul’s Beykoz district, Alaattin Köseler, became the second CHP mayor to be detained on similar charges.
Yet, few people knew back then that a more prominent mayor would be next in line as investigations into corruption allegations deepened. The CHP has been relatively mute when the two mayors were detained, but the silence was broken when Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, a rising star in Türkiye’s oldest party, was detained on March 19, along with two other district mayors in Istanbul and senior municipal bureaucrats, on charges of corruption and terrorism. On March 21, Imamoğlu and others were remanded in custody. The arrests prompted an outcry from the CHP, which launched rallies in Istanbul outside the headquarters of the metropolitan municipality. Protests against what the CHP called “politically-motivated” arrests occasionally escalated into violent riots and continue to this day in a more muted format and in other cities.
In its bid to portray the arrests as a means to prevent the CHP’s future ambitions, the party hastily organized an intraparty election to decide on its future presidential candidate, and Imamoğlu was elected.
Imamoğlu now faces prison terms amounting to thousands of years, while his trial, or trials as he has other pending cases involving forgery of his university diploma and insults to public officials, will continue in 2026. Prosecutors say the mayor formed a criminal network thriving on bribes from businesspeople seeking favors from the municipality, from building permits to lucrative tenders. The trial of Imamoğlu and 406 others in the case will commence on March 9, 2026. In the following months, more mayors of the CHP were detained or arrested on charges of corruption.
The CHP, nevertheless, frantically sought to portray itself as the last bastion of democracy as its call for early elections failed to garner support. Özgür Özel was reelected the party’s chair in an extraordinary intraparty election in April. It was also an effort to cement Özel’s place in the party, as former members of the party had already filed a lawsuit, calling for the annulment of the 2023 party congress that brought Özel to power. One of the most anticipated trials in 2025, the lawsuit temporarily came to a halt when an Ankara court in October dismissed the case where Özel and other CHP figures were accused of scheming to buy votes in the 2023 congress to oust then-Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The dismissal was a brief respite for the CHP, though, as an appeals court will look into the lawsuit in 2026, along with another case where plaintiffs seek nullification of the election of Özgür Çelik, head of the party’s Istanbul branch, who was already suspended from duty and replaced by a trustee, the party’s former vice chair, Gürsel Tekin.
Terror-free Türkiye
As the CHP dealt with legal troubles, Türkiye witnessed unprecedented developments in the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
The initiative, which was shaped by Bahçeli’s historic call to the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, urging him to appeal to the PKK to lay down arms, had its first concrete result in February. On Feb. 27, Öcalan conveyed his message to that extent through DEM Party lawmakers and invited the PKK to dissolve itself.
In May, the PKK convened a “congress” and announced it would dissolve itself. On July 11, the terrorist group held a ceremony in northern Iraq where terrorists tossed their weapons into a pit of fire and burned them, to demonstrate their commitment to disarmament.
In August, Parliament announced the establishment of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee, which will serve as a guide for Parliament in determining legislative steps to move forward with the initiative. Since its first meeting on Aug. 5, the committee, comprised of lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and opposition parties, including the CHP, DEM Party, as well as government ally MHP, has heard from people from all walks of life who were affected by the PKK’s violent campaign. Along with families of counterterrorism victims, the committee heard from ministers, parents of PKK members, academics and civic society leaders. In 2026, the committee is expected to wrap up its work as parties contributing to the committee started presenting their reports containing suggestions to move forward with the initiative. Reports mostly involve legal regulations that will encourage disarmament, such as lenient sentences for PKK members not involved in acts of terrorism.
Slap, death, illness
The early months of the year were troublesome for Devlet Bahçel, who was hospitalized in February and underwent surgery due to health problems related to his heart valve. Bahçeli disappeared from the public eye for nearly two months as he recovered, but the lengthy disappearance fueled rumors that the 77-year-old politician’s health was deteriorating. In April, Bahçeli made his first public appearance in months, visiting the grave of his party’s founder, Alparslan Türkeş. The veteran politician scaled back his weekly appearances, but he remained in good health since then, regularly attending his party’s weekly parliamentary meetings, where his fiery speeches often made headlines.
On May 3, Turkish politics bid farewell to renowned politician Sırrı Süreyya Önder. A 64-year-old lawmaker from the DEM Party, who also served as deputy Parliament speaker, passed away weeks after suffering a heart attack. The filmmaker-turned-politician, who is known for his deep sense of humor, cheering up otherwise boring parliamentary sessions, had Turkish politics united in mourning. Political adversary Bahçeli was one of the first to rush for condolences while a large crowd attended the funeral ceremony for Önder. Önder was also a key figure in the terror-free Türkiye initiative as part of the DEM Party delegation, frequently visiting Öcalan and, in a way, mediating “talks” between the PKK leader and Parliament.
Apart from the outpouring of condolences, the funeral ceremony for Önder went down into the annals of Turkish political history as the scene of a notorious incident. Just as he was leaving the ceremony in Istanbul, CHP leader Özgür Özel was violently slapped by a man in a much-publicized incident. The perpetrator, a 66-year-old man who claimed to be angered with Özel’s past statements, was released in September after he was handed a 12-month prison term, due to laws allowing defendants to be released without serving time if their pretrial detention is long enough.
The Turkish Parliament will begin its weekly session on Tuesday, following the inauguration of the new legislative year last Thursday. Parliament’s General Assembly will debate a new bill on the Turkish Red Crescent, while the Planning and Budget Committee will hear from Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan.
The bill on the Turkish Red Crescent would make the Turkish Red Crescent, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the national Red Crescent and Red Cross societies of other countries the sole authorized entities for receiving and using in-kind and cash assistance sent to Türkiye during ordinary or extraordinary circumstances. Cash compensation will also be paid to personnel of the Turkish Red Crescent who are actively serving in the field to carry out the organization’s activities during extraordinary periods and times of disasters, war and conflict. In provinces and districts where Red Crescent branches and representative offices are located, the heads of the provincial and district Red Crescent branches will also become members of the boards of trustees of the Foundations for Social Assistance and Solidarity, the state entities overseeing social aid schemes for disadvantaged individuals.
On Tuesday, Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan will make a presentation to the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Committee. Karahan is expected to deliver a comprehensive presentation on global developments, the Turkish economy, inflation and the monetary policy framework at the meeting.
The Parliamentary Public Works, Reconstruction, Transport and Tourism Commission will also convene to discuss the bill on Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, parliamentary group meetings of the political parties represented in Parliament will be held.
Cemil Tugay, the independent mayor of Türkiye’s third-largest province, Izmir, who resigned from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will join the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) this week, media outlets reported Sunday. Tugay met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex on Sept. 30, fueling rumors about the switch. Tugay and Erdoğan reportedly met to discuss the needs of Izmir, but media outlets said the mayor later met officials at the AK Party’s Izmir branch, leading to further speculation about the switch.
Erdoğan will officially welcome him to the party at the AK Party’s parliamentary group meeting on Oct. 7. Along with Tugay, the mayors of two district municipalities in Izmir are expected to join the AK Party, media reports said. Pro-opposition Sözcü newspaper reported that Tugay canceled all appearances after meeting with Erdoğan and has not returned calls from journalists.
If the switch takes place, it will be the first time the AK Party has taken over a municipality in Izmir, a longstanding CHP stronghold. The CHP is already in tatters after former Chair Özgür Özel founded the New Party (YP) in July, taking dozens of lawmakers from the CHP with him. The YP is now the main opposition party thanks to the sheer number of its lawmakers in Parliament, while several mayors have signaled that they would join the party soon.
The number of mayors elected under the CHP banner who have since joined the AK Party has risen to 44.
The latest switches include the mayors of the Çerkezköy, Çiğli, Elmalı, Şenkaya and Marmara districts, continuing a series of defections from the CHP since the 2024 local elections.
President Erdoğan presented party badges to the nine mayors during the party’s Expanded Provincial Chairs Meeting in Ankara last month and wished them success in their work.
The CHP won 420 municipalities across Türkiye in the 2024 elections. With 44 mayors having since resigned from the party and joined the AK Party, the figure represents roughly one in every 10 mayors elected on the CHP ticket, according to the figures.
Turkish security forces detained 52 irregular migrants in separate operations across four provinces, while four suspected migrant smugglers were arrested, authorities said Monday.
Security forces detained 10 foreign nationals in the northwestern province of Edirne after determining they had entered Türkiye through illegal routes. Another seven irregular migrants were detained in neighboring Kırklareli.
The migrants were transferred to provincial migration authorities and a repatriation center following processing.
In the western province of Izmir, gendarmerie teams stopped a minibus near the Karaburun toll booths on the Çeşme highway on Oct. 1 as part of an operation targeting migrant smuggling.
Authorities found 16 irregular migrants inside the vehicle, including one Nigerian, three Chadian, 10 Ethiopian and two Sudanese nationals.
The minibus driver, identified by the initials B.Y., was detained on suspicion of organizing the journey and was later arrested by a court. The migrants were transferred to migration authorities.
Türkiye, a key transit route for migrants seeking to reach Europe, has stepped up border controls and security operations in recent years as part of its efforts to combat irregular migration and migrant smuggling.
Separately, security forces detained 19 Afghan irregular migrants during a joint coast guard and gendarmerie operation in Demre, in the southern province of Antalya, on Oct. 2.
One suspected Turkish smuggler was detained on land, while two others allegedly linked to the operation were caught aboard a sailboat at sea. All three were later arrested and sent to prison.
Authorities seized the sailboat used in the alleged smuggling operation.
Investigators identified four additional suspects believed to have been involved in the smuggling network, and efforts to apprehend them are continuing, authorities said.
Türkiye has intensified nationwide operations in recent years amid rising regional migration pressures.
New investigations have revealed deep-seated corruption in district municipalities run by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has seen dozens of its mayors jailed in a widespread probe into bribery and tender-rigging over the past two years.
Reports by the Sabah newspaper indicate that a deputy mayor asked a businessman to place a bribe into a vase full of flowers and deliver it to his wife in Mersin’s Mezitli district. In another case, it was discovered that some staff at Istanbul’s Ataşehir Municipality asked for high-value gift cards for shopping at luxury department stores.
In a corruption operation targeting municipalities in Mersin, the bribery network and methods allegedly used at Mezitli Municipality have been exposed. The district’s mayor, Ahmet Serkan Tuncer, was among dozens detained earlier this week in an anti-corruption operation, along with Mersin Mayor Vahap Seçer.
According to the Sabah report, Mezitli’s Deputy Mayor Atilla Küsbeci was meeting with landowners on behalf of Mayor Tuncer. During these meetings, zoning densities were increased and changes were made in favor of those who paid the requested bribes.
The money was allegedly shared among Ahmet Serkan Tuncer, Atilla Küsbeci, CHP Mersin Deputy Provincial Chair Kubilay Özsoy, Serkan Şahin and Hacı Şahin. The case file states that Kubilay Özsoy obtained TL 28 million (around $570,000) in illicit gains through these transactions, converted the bribes into gold and foreign currency and introduced them into the financial system, and purchased land in the name of his father. It also states that Ahmet Serkan Tuncer purchased a home at a residential complex with the money.
It was determined that Atilla Küsbeci and his wife, Merve Küsbeci, who works in the municipality’s zoning department, turned a blind eye to the construction of noncompliant sections at two luxury hotels in the city and failed to act on complaints concerning these violations.
The testimony of Serkan Canıtezer, a representative of Kayalife construction company, shed light on the alleged bribery method. Canıtezer said Mayor Tuncer and Deputy Mayor Atilla Küsbeci demanded a TL 5 million bribe for zoning and construction permit procedures.
“Atilla Küsbeci asked me to put it in a vase together with flowers and leave it at the zoning department where his wife, Merve Küsbeci, worked. However, I refused. I obtained the construction permit, but they demanded two separate renovation projects for the construction in order to receive the bribe. The head of the building inspection department, whom Atilla Küsbeci sent to my construction site, told me that a third renovation project would be required and said, ‘You know the reason. There is nothing I can do; the order comes from higher up,'” he testified.
“I also reported the situation to CIMER (the Presidential Communications Center, a hotline for complaints from the general public). On Aug. 19, 2026, I went to the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department of the police with TL 100,000 and had the serial numbers recorded. I then informed them that I was ready to hand over the money,” Canıtezer said.
A search of the home of Ali Özbaran, owner of Özbaran Enerji, who was detained in the operation in Mezitli on charges of “rigging a tender,” “bribery” and “qualified fraud,” uncovered 257,000 euros, $25,000, 64,000 pounds, 4 kilograms (8.82 pounds) of gold bars, 116 Republic gold coins, eight half gold coins, five quarter gold coins and 2 grams (0.07055 ounces) of gold, as well as an unlicensed handgun and tender documents.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Ataşehir Municipality by the Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was expanded based on examinations of digital materials belonging to suspects arrested on April 20, 2026, statements obtained from suspects under the effective repentance provisions, testimony from witnesses questioned following complaints filed through CIMER and statements by suspects who allegedly paid bribes.
The examination found that some municipal employees had used high-value gift cards from luxury department stores and received money in foreign currencies in exchange for bribes.
The investigation also found, based on examinations of digital materials, that financial benefits were provided to company owners involved in zoning and occupancy permit procedures at Ataşehir Municipality by allegedly having them purchase purportedly “garbage containers.”
Based on the evidence obtained, simultaneous searches, seizures and detention procedures were carried out this week. A total of 13 suspects, including Ataşehir Deputy Mayor Murat Güneş, were apprehended and detained as part of the operation. Numerous digital materials were seized during searches of the suspects’ addresses.
The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that investigations aimed at combating crimes against the reliability and functioning of public administration would continue meticulously and with determination.
Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed ringleader of the PKK terrorist group, may meet journalists and civil society representatives, a lawmaker who has repeatedly met him in recent months told the media over the weekend.
In statements quoted by the Turkish media on Sunday, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) lawmaker Pervin Buldan noted that they may see “a concrete development in October” in terms of visitors for Öcalan, who is jailed in a high-security island prison in the Marmara Sea. She was responding to a question about whether Öcalan would be allowed visitors other than his next of kin, lawyers and DEM Party lawmakers, from a party closely associated with the PKK.
The move is part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli in 2024. The initiative sought the dissolution of the PKK after decades of violence across Türkiye and has succeeded to an extent after Öcalan agreed to Bahçeli’s proposal to order the PKK to lay down its arms. The PKK announced its dissolution in 2025, and the process is currently being monitored by Turkish authorities. In return, Türkiye introduced a law in August that offers deferral of sentencing and prosecution for PKK members not involved in acts of violence.
Since Bahçeli’s historic call two years ago, Öcalan has frequently received DEM Party lawmakers who have served as messengers for him, conveying his messages to the PKK and the Turkish public. Öcalan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment after his capture in Kenya in 1999, however, still serves his prison term in strictly isolated conditions with a few fellow inmates. Recently, Bahçeli announced that a new addendum to the prison facility may be built on the island to help Öcalan fulfill his task as an intermediary. Bahçeli has also suggested a formal “coordinator role” for Öcalan. This was also mentioned by Buldan in her interview, and she said that Öcalan would be a “coordinator” both in the disarmament of the PKK and in the “political and democratic building process.”
“For this reason, it is essential that he should be provided with free working and communication conditions and allowed to receive visitors from different segments of society,” Buldan stated.
For decades, the PKK remained the main security threat to Türkiye, and its violent campaign is blamed for the deaths of thousands of people and immense economic losses, especially in southeastern Türkiye. Apart from small nationalist parties, almost all political parties openly supported the initiative, something rare in polarized Turkish politics.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new legislative year at the Turkish Parliament last Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed a law passed by Parliament on terror-free Türkiye.
“Consensus on a terror-free Türkiye has upset the country’s foes. (Terror-free Türkiye) is already having a deterrent effect on Türkiye’s foes and is empowering the country,” Erdoğan said.
The president also urged other political parties to strengthen the “homefront” amid regional tensions and reach a “grand Türkiye consensus.”
Senior Turkish political figures criticized the opposition New Party (YP) after its lawmakers walked out of Parliament as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan prepared to address lawmakers at the opening of the new legislative year.
New Party leader Özgür Özel and lawmakers from his party left the General Assembly shortly before Erdoğan began his address Thursday, in what the party described as a protest against the president.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli criticized the move, saying it was politically inappropriate for the lawmakers to leave while Erdoğan was in the chamber.
“It was not politically right for New Party (YP) to leave while our president was in the hall,” Bahçeli told reporters at a reception marking the opening of the new legislative year.
Bahçeli, whose MHP is allied with Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said a recently established political party should seek to bring new approaches to politics.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş also criticized the walkout, saying political differences and protests were legitimate parts of democratic politics but arguing that lawmakers should observe political courtesy during the annual opening ceremony.
“We would have preferred New Party lawmakers to listen to the president’s speech and not resort to such a course of action,” Kurtulmuş told reporters.
He said lawmakers had extensive opportunities to criticize the president and the executive once regular parliamentary proceedings resumed but described the opening of Parliament as an occasion for political parties to gather under the same roof despite their differences.
The walkout came during the special session opening the fifth legislative year of Parliament’s 28th term. Erdoğan delivered his annual address after Parliament Speaker Kurtulmuş opened the session.
The incident prompted criticism from senior members of the AK Party and officials in the presidential administration.
AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik described the decision to leave the chamber before Erdoğan’s speech as disrespectful to Parliament and the presidency.
Çelik noted the president’s address at the beginning of a legislative year was an established part of Türkiye’s parliamentary tradition and accused the YP of contradicting its calls for a stronger Parliament by leaving the chamber.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also criticized the walkout, saying Parliament was a forum where differing political views should be expressed and debated.
Duran described YP lawmakers’ decision to leave the chamber as “a serious act of disrespect,” saying it went beyond a political stance against the presidency and showed disregard for the national will, state traditions and parliamentary conventions.
He said the move was inappropriate for Parliament and argued that democratic politics required not only expressing one’s own views but also tolerating opposing opinions and listening to the elected president in Parliament.
“Putting political disagreements ahead of long-established state traditions and the common rules of Parliament is incompatible with democratic representation.”
AK Party Deputy Chair Hüseyin Yayman also condemned the protest, accusing YP lawmakers of using the parliamentary session for political theater. He said lawmakers had the right to criticize or oppose Erdoğan but should do so through parliamentary debate.
The dispute underscored tensions between Erdoğan’s governing alliance and the YP, which was established in July under Özel’s leadership after he and 90 other lawmakers resigned from the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The YP has since formed a parliamentary group, with Özel serving as its chair.
Kurtulmuş, responding to questions about opposition criticism more broadly, rejected claims that opposition voices were being prevented from speaking in Parliament.
He said seven parliamentary groups would participate when regular proceedings resume, five of them representing opposition parties.
The Parliament speaker also called on opposition parties to put forward proposals in the debate over a new constitution, saying disagreements over Türkiye’s presidential system and the president’s political party affiliation could be addressed as part of that process.
Despite the walkout, other opposition politicians remained in the chamber during the opening session. Erdoğan later greeted lawmakers from several parties following his address.
Parliament is scheduled to resume its regular legislative work on Oct. 6.
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