Politics
Turkish main opposition’s ‘direct democracy’ trial off to rocky start
The main opposition New Party (YP) launched a new intra-party election process on Sunday, with all members eligible to vote in the election of district chairs. The first stage of the multi-week process replaced the “delegate” system, but it was not without a hitch. In one district, the vote was called off after supporters of candidates engaged in a brawl. Similar scenes unfolded in several other districts.
In the traditional system of Turkish politics, parties first pick delegates at the neighborhood level, and these delegates are the only eligible voters to pick their own candidates for district chairs. District delegates then vote for provincial chairs in turn. Speaking in the Karesi district of the western province of Balıkesir on Sunday, where he watched the voting, Party Chair Özgür Özel touted the election as “next-generation politics and direct democracy.” Özel founded YP in July after he was ousted from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) over allegations of vote-buying in a 2023 election in which he was elected to the CHP’s top office.
The YP is scheduled to hold district congresses and then provincial congresses to elect new chairs in those constituencies in October.
Yet, Özel’s “direct democracy” failed the test in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district. Supporters of two candidates for district chair engaged in an all-out brawl, alleging irregularities. When tensions further escalated, party officials decided to call off the voting due to security concerns.
In the Odunpazarı district of the central province of Eskişehir, supporters of one candidate objected to the vote count after the rival candidate won by a three-vote margin. Party members called for a recount, which was approved by the party’s supervisory board, but a brawl erupted between rival camps at the polling station, forcing authorities to call off the recount and refer the case to the party’s headquarters.
In Bursa’s Nilüfer district, party members protesting against both candidates scrawled the name of the party’s Bursa chair on ballots in an act of defiance.
In the Mezitli district of the southern province of Mersin, a man was arrested after firing into the air during a brawl between party supporters during the election.
Turkish security forces detained five foreign nationals suspected of links to the Daesh terrorist group in an operation in southeastern Türkiye’s Adıyaman province, authorities said Monday.
The operation was carried out by counterterrorism units of the Adıyaman Provincial Gendarmerie Command as part of an investigation coordinated by the Adıyaman Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
During the investigation, gendarmerie teams identified the addresses of five Iraqi suspects, identified by their initials as R.K.Q.B., W.K.Q.B., R.H.K.B., N.T.H.M. and N.T.G.
Counterterrorism units, backed by special operations teams, conducted simultaneous raids at the identified addresses and detained all five suspects.
The suspects underwent medical examinations before being transferred to the Provincial Gendarmerie Command for further questioning and legal procedures.
During searches of the addresses, security forces seized five mobile phones and five SIM cards.
Türkiye has conducted sustained counterterrorism operations against Daesh for years, targeting the group’s members, facilitators and financial networks both domestically and across its borders. Turkish security forces regularly carry out nationwide raids to prevent attacks and dismantle the organization’s presence in the country.
Meanwhile, in Syria, security forces dismantled a cell linked to the Daesh terrorist group and detained four alleged leaders in a series of operations, state media reported.
Syria’s Internal Security Forces and General Intelligence Directorate carried out the operations targeting Daesh, according to the state-run SANA news agency.
Authorities said the operation dismantled a Daesh-linked cell whose activities stretched from Raqqa to the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Homs.
The four detained suspects were accused of involvement in kidnappings, planting improvised explosive devices and carrying out assassinations, SANA reported.
Preliminary findings indicated that members of the cell were directly involved in at least five kidnappings and were preparing further attacks aimed at undermining security and stability in the country, according to the report.
Security forces also seized a large quantity of explosives that authorities said had been prepared for use in terrorist attacks during the operations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto discussed bilateral ties and regional and global developments in a phone call, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said Monday.
Erdoğan expressed satisfaction with cooperation between Türkiye and Indonesia on international platforms and said maintaining that solidarity would benefit both countries, according to a statement from the directorate.
The Turkish president emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation between Ankara and Jakarta across several areas, particularly trade and the defense industry.
Erdoğan noted Türkiye would continue taking steps to advance bilateral cooperation in those fields, the statement said.
Türkiye and Indonesia have sought to deepen their defense ties in recent years alongside broader efforts to expand political and economic relations.
During the call, Erdoğan also invited Subianto to attend the COP31 Leaders Summit, which is set to be held in the southern Turkish resort city of Antalya.
In April 2025, in a joint news conference with his Indonesian counterpart Subianto, President Erdoğan noted that they discussed steps to raise bilateral trade to $10 billion in a balanced and mutual manner, as both leaders vowed to further boost cooperation.
Türkiye’s growing military and diplomatic clout in the Eastern Mediterranean and its landmark maritime deal with Libya are unsettling Israel, with Israeli security officials reportedly warning that Ankara’s expanding regional footprint is increasingly limiting Tel Aviv’s room for maneuver.
The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that Israel’s security establishment, including military intelligence, is closely monitoring Türkiye’s growing influence in Libya and the wider Mediterranean, viewing Ankara’s moves as increasingly constraining Israel’s regional ambitions.
The report focused on the 2019 Türkiye-Libya maritime boundaries agreement, which established a maritime corridor between the two countries and strengthened Ankara’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Israeli newspaper claimed the agreement effectively bypassed a chain of Greek islands, including Crete and Rhodes, while Türkiye’s growing military presence in the region has further shifted the strategic balance in the Mediterranean.
It also highlighted Türkiye’s military support for Libya, saying Ankara has since expanded its presence at Libyan ports, strengthened its aerial footprint and secured opportunities to explore energy resources in the country.
According to the report, Türkiye’s expanding military infrastructure and operational reach have given Ankara greater influence over strategic maritime routes extending well beyond its shores.
The newspaper also linked Israel’s concerns to planned regional energy projects, arguing that Türkiye’s maritime position could complicate a proposed natural gas pipeline connecting Israel with the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece before reaching Europe.
Ankara has maintained that projects crossing areas covered by its maritime jurisdiction require Türkiye’s consent and has repeatedly stressed that it will protect its rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The report said the issue is particularly significant for Israel because some 98% of its imports arrive by sea, making maritime access a major economic and security concern.
Against Türkiye’s expanding regional influence, Israeli security officials cited by the newspaper described the emerging situation in stark terms: “Türkiye is cornering Israel.”
Four hundred eighty-eight years after the Battle of Preveza, Türkiye is becoming a force to reckon with in terms of naval might, thanks to its growing local defense industry. On Sunday, the country celebrated the anniversary of the Ottoman victory against the Holy League of European forces off the coast of Greece.
On the occasion, which is also celebrated as Turkish Naval Forces Day, the navy’s 15 vessels paraded across the Bosporus amid cheers. Turkish naval commanders and local authorities joined citizens in saluting the ships before a visit to the tomb of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, the legendary Ottoman admiral who led the victory at Preveza and was buried in Beşiktaş overlooking the Bosporus.
In a message on the occasion, the National Defense Ministry said the Turkish navy demonstrated its power 488 years ago to the world and today continues accomplishing tasks “without fear and heroically, to protect our maritime rights and interests.”
“We remember with gratitude Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, our revered ancestors, our commander-in-chief Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, all martyrs and veterans,” the ministry said in a statement.
Alparslan Bayraktar, the minister of energy and natural resources, also issued a message on the occasion, noting that Türkiye continued “accomplishing new sagas in the Blue Homeland,” referring to Türkiye’s maritime borders concept. Bayraktar said that the victory in 1538 inspired Türkiye’s energy independence struggle in the Blue Homeland. Türkiye has developed a new energy fleet in recent years, including new seismic research vessels named after Barbaros and other respected admirals of the Ottoman navy. Bayraktar said that, with six drill ships and two seismic research ships, Türkiye now had the world’s fourth-largest energy fleet.
The Battle of Preveza was the culmination of a struggle across the Mediterranean in the 16th century between the rapidly expanding Ottoman Empire and the Holy League, formed by Pope Paul III as an alliance of the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Knights of Malta and Spain. It was requested by the Republic of Venice, which had lost several islands to the Ottoman navy in the Mediterranean, and convinced others to confront what they perceived as a threat to their commercial and military interests in the Mediterranean.
The Ottoman navy was led by Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, while Genoese admiral Andrea Doria led the Holy League’s combat forces.
Doria laid siege to Preveza Castle first before retreating to Corfu, which was controlled by Venice, when the Ottoman navy arrived. Ottoman forces prompted the Holy League navy to fight in the open sea in the Gulf of Arta, in the Ionian Sea. Although outnumbered, the Ottoman forces successfully engaged with the Holy League navy, which consisted of 262 ships. Weather conditions also played a role in limiting the maneuvers of Doria’s forces, which were mostly composed of sailing ships, allowing Barbaros’ more mobile galleys to launch attacks easily. Doria eventually gave in, fleeing in the dark after many ships he commanded were sunk by the Ottomans.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu returned to office three years after he lost an intra-party election. Four months into his reinstatement, the leader of the opposition juggernaut, which lost most of its lawmakers to the newly established New Party (YP), told journalists he would not “stay as chair for the duration of my lifetime.”
“I never said I would seek candidacy. I respect any candidate,” he said Sunday in Bolu, a northern city where senior CHP members went for a retreat to assess a future road map.
Kılıçdaroğlu was engaged in a bitter row with former CHP Chair Özgür Özel after the latter was removed from office by a court ruling over allegations that his associates were involved in vote-buying in the intra-party election that ended Kılıçdaroğlu’s lengthy reign in the party. After returning to his former post, Kılıçdaroğlu vowed to cleanse the party of corruption, referring to the arrests and detentions of a number of CHP mayors on charges of municipal corruption.
Kılıçdaroğlu said Sunday that he was intent on returning the CHP “to a safe harbor, to the values it had when it was founded.”
“The CHP has to preserve its moral values,” he said.
He underlined that the CHP was dragged into “a dirty process” and that politics paid the price.
“Confidence in politics is shaken. The CHP is a party that founded this state and had high moral values. But it distanced itself from these values,” he said. The CHP is Türkiye’s oldest party and was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Türkiye.
Kılıçdaroğlu said the resignation of several members, namely those supporting Özel after he founded his New Party in July, had “accomplished, to a large extent, the cleansing task.”
The CHP now aims to hold a new intra-party election, and several figures have already announced their intention to run in a possible race.
Greek media has outlined a hypothetical military scenario in which Athens could consider a “preemptive strike” against Türkiye if it determined that a Turkish attack was imminent, according to a report published by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea.
The report cited remarks by Greek Chief of Defense Gen. Dimitrios Houpis in December 2025 referring to Greece’s ability to carry out preemptive strategic strikes at long range.
Drawing on military analysts and sources, Ta Nea described a hypothetical crisis in the Aegean triggered by disputes over maritime jurisdiction or exploration activities. Under the scenario, a large-scale mobilization of Turkish forces could be interpreted by Athens as preparations for an imminent attack.
Greek intelligence would first seek to verify Turkish military movements using surveillance capabilities and satellite data provided by allied countries before the country’s national security council, KYSEA, convened to assess the situation.
The report acknowledged the risks of acting on inaccurate intelligence, noting that the side launching the first strike could face accusations of aggression and lose international diplomatic support.
In a potential second phase, the report said Greece could seek to disrupt Turkish radar and communications through electronic warfare while using Rafale and F-16 Viper fighter jets against military infrastructure. Spike NLOS and Exocet missile systems could also be deployed against Turkish amphibious forces, depending on the scenario.
Ta Nea said a possible Turkish response could involve missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, with Greece relying on Patriot air defense systems and SeaFire radars aboard its new Kimon-class frigates.
The scenario also envisaged the United States, NATO and the European Union pushing for a cease-fire after the first 24 hours of hostilities.
In recent years, Greece has ordered four French FDI frigates and also plans to modernize its four MEKO-class frigates.
In parallel, the country is expanding its air and missile defense capabilities. Recent projects include the purchase of the multilayered “Achilles Shield” system, which is set to include Israeli systems from Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, as well as additional drones and reconnaissance technology. The agreement with Italy provides for the possibility of acquiring further FREMM frigates in the future, the Greek press reported.
Under the Achilles Shield deal, Israel will supply Greece with the David’s Sling and SPYDER systems, as well as the BARAK MX system along with MMR multi-mission radars for air surveillance manufactured by IAI unit ELTA Systems.
Türkiye, meanwhile, is currently building more than 50 warships simultaneously for both domestic and foreign customers, according to a statement last month by its Naval Forces commander.
The country also plans to inaugurate its locally made aircraft carrier by the end of 2027. The carrier will have the capacity to host 52 aerial vehicles and 2,500 personnel.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye has pursued a rapprochement with Greece after decades of lukewarm diplomatic ties and nearly two decades after the countries came close to an all-out war over their Aegean dispute. Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have met several times over the past two years, but their warm meetings have done little to change the state of relations over the maritime dispute.
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