Politics
‘Terror-free Türkiye aims to build shared future with entire society’
We want to build a common future through the terror-free Türkiye process and open a new chapter in the country’s history, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday, celebrating the 24th anniversary of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
“Through the process, we will not only solve the problem of terrorism, but also aim to eradicate the possibility and threat of terrorism,” Erdoğan said at the anniversary program in the capital Ankara.
“Türkiye has caught a historical opportunity to solve its most chronic problem – we will not allow it to come to nothing.”
Calling on other political parties to support the initiative, Erdoğan said: “We do not have to think in the same manner on every issue; however, we are obliged to realize a terror-free Türkiye.”
Speaking on the terror-free Türkiye commission, which has been recently created to follow the process after the PKK laid down arms, Erdoğan said that parties should not adopt a maximalist approach here. “Whoever does this for the sake of political interests, I say it openly: Neither this nation nor future generations will forgive him.”
Let us bring down the wall that has been built between our people, let us build our future together, Erdoğan added.
“We are managing a very delicate process here. We carry the legacy of 86 million people, including Turks, Kurds and Arabs, and we strive not to stain that legacy even by the slightest blemish.”
“As the AK Party, with full dignity and awareness of the heavy burden on our shoulders, we will diligently manage this process, which will open the door to a bright future, in a manner that aligns with our nation’s expectations and the greatness of our party,” the president continued.
Underlining the party left its mark on the last quarter century, Erdoğan said: “The AK Party is stronger today, it will be even stronger tomorrow. Nothing will be like before.”
The president gave the most recent data on investments and services in several areas to the people throughout 24 years.
“We increased our exports, which were $36 billion in 2002, to $270 billion on an annual basis in July.”
He also said that the AK Party is more than a party, with the highest number of members.
“We continue to expand participation in the AK Party on its 24th anniversary with new members,” Erdoğan said, criticizing the main opposition for attacking the new members’ choice of joining the ruling party.
“We have never bowed to the tyranny of those who orchestrate reputation assassinations through their media and social media hitmen, and we will never do so again. The gentleman (CHP Chair Özgür Özel) is uncomfortable, so be it; we will make him uncomfortable even more,” Erdoğan said. “The CHP chairman is no longer a matter of politics, but is rapidly becoming a matter of psychiatry.”
Entering political life as Türkiye’s 39th party, the AK Party was introduced by Erdoğan, then the former mayor of Istanbul, with the words: “From today onwards, nothing will be the same in Türkiye.” Two days after its foundation, at the Aug. 16 Founders’ Council meeting, Erdoğan was unanimously elected chairperson, beginning a political journey that has produced four prime ministers, two presidents and multiple landmark reforms.
Just 15 months later, the party contested its first general election on Nov. 3, 2002, without its leader, who was under a political ban, and campaigned under the slogan “On our own, into power.” It won 34.28% of the vote, emerging as the leading party and forming the 58th government under Abdullah Gül.
With amendments to Article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code lifting his political ban, Erdoğan entered Parliament on March 8, 2003, in the Siirt by-election. Following Gül’s resignation, then-President Ahmet Necdet Sezer tasked Erdoğan with forming the 59th government, and on March 15, 2003, he assumed the post of prime minister.
In its first local elections in 2004, the AK Party won 41.7% of the vote, securing 1,950 municipalities, including 11 metropolitan cities. In the 2007 general elections, it increased its vote share to 46.58%, maintaining its single-party government, and again topped the 2009 local polls.
A major challenge came in 2008 when the chief prosecutor filed a closure case against the party, seeking to ban 71 members, including President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Erdoğan. The Constitutional Court accepted the indictment on March 31, 2008, but on July 30, it voted against closure as the required qualified majority was not met.
The 2010 constitutional referendum, held on the 30th anniversary of the 1980 coup, saw 57.88% vote “yes” to amending the 1982 Constitution. In 2011, the AK Party won the general elections with 49.53%, and in the 2014 local elections, secured 45.60%, winning 818 mayoralties, 18 of which were metropolitan municipalities.
On Aug. 10, 2014, Erdoğan was elected Türkiye’s 12th president with 52% of the vote, becoming the first to be chosen directly by the people. Konya Deputy Ahmet Davutoğlu took over as party chairperson, leading the AK Party through the June 7, 2015, general elections and the Nov. 1 snap polls, where it regained its parliamentary majority.
On May 22, 2016, Binali Yıldırım was elected chairperson at the 2nd Extraordinary Congress, forming the 65th government. That same year, on July 15, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) attempted a coup – the deadliest in Türkiye’s history. Erdoğan’s call for citizens to take to the streets and airports stopped the attempt, and the solidarity between the AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) paved the way for the People’s Alliance.
The April 16, 2017, constitutional referendum – initiated by an AK Party proposal signed by 316 deputies – passed with 51.41% of the vote, ushering in the presidential system and allowing the president to retain party membership. On May 2, 2017, after 979 days away, Erdoğan rejoined the AK Party and was reelected chair on May 21 with all valid votes.
The first elections under the new system were held on June 24, 2018, after a proposal for early elections by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli was accepted. Erdoğan was reelected president with 52.38%, and the AK Party took 42.28% in the parliamentary vote, winning its 13th consecutive national election.
At the Aug. 18, 2018, 6th Ordinary Congress, Erdoğan was reelected with all valid votes. The party formalized electoral alliances in its bylaws and barred members from holding both Central Executive Board and Cabinet positions. The AK Party and the MHP continued their alliance in the local elections, with the AK Party winning 44.33% and remaining the leading party.
The 7th Ordinary Congress process, launched under the theme “Walk the road you believe in,” was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed in 2021. On March 24, Erdoğan was reelected chairperson with all 1,428 valid votes.
For the 2023 elections, Erdoğan moved the date from June 18 to May 14. In the first round, he won 49.52%, leading to a May 28 runoff, where he prevailed with 52.18%. The AK Party won 35.62% of the parliamentary vote, securing 268 seats and extending its record as the longest-ruling party since 1946.
On Oct. 7, 2023, the 4th Extraordinary Congress reelected Erdoğan chair with all 1,399 valid votes. The new Central Decision and Executive Board saw 49 new members, while 14 of 18 Executive Board members retained their seats.
In the March 31, 2024, local elections, the AK Party won 35.49% of the vote, capturing 24 provincial and 357 district municipalities. Erdoğan said the party would “carefully weigh the messages from the ballot box with reason and conscience” and initiated cadre changes in multiple provinces.
At the Feb. 23, 2025, 8th Ordinary Congress, 39 new members joined the 75-seat Central Decision and Executive Board, renewing more than half the body. Three new presidencies – for relations with Turkic states, health policies, and culture and arts – were established.
From its foundation to its 24th anniversary, the AK Party has been defined by uninterrupted electoral success, constitutional changes and leadership continuity under Erdoğan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the occasion of World Humanitarian Day on Tuesday to call for stronger international solidarity in the face of global crises, urging nations to embrace “compassion beyond borders” in an article published in Spain’s El Pais.
In the piece, titled “Compassion Beyond Borders: The Alliance of Civilizations and Humanitarian Diplomacy,” Erdoğan argued that peace, security and prosperity can only be achieved through cooperation built on justice and respect.
He underscored the long-standing friendship between Türkiye and Spain, describing the two nations as “standing at the two poles of the Mediterranean” and sharing common goals in trade, energy, defense and diplomacy.
“Spain stands among our most reliable allies within NATO,” Erdoğan wrote, citing Madrid’s deployment of a Patriot air defense system in Türkiye’s southern Adana province.
He also thanked Spain for supporting Türkiye’s European Union accession bid and recalled the solidarity shown after the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes, when Spanish rescue teams and medical staff provided emergency aid.
Humanitarian emphasis
Framing Türkiye as one of the world’s most generous nations relative to its economic size, Erdoğan highlighted Ankara’s humanitarian diplomacy, which he said reaches across regions from Gaza to Sudan, Somalia to Bangladesh and as far as Latin America. He noted Türkiye’s hosting of the first-ever U.N. World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016 as a milestone in shaping the global aid agenda.
According to Erdoğan, Turkish aid agencies, such as the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Red Crescent and religious foundations, provide assistance not only during emergencies but also through long-term development projects.
He pointed to Türkiye’s “Goodness Trains,” which supply food and medicine to Afghanistan, field hospitals serving Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, agricultural projects in Sudan and widespread COVID-19 vaccine donations to more than 160 countries.
“Humanitarian aid is the most advanced form of diplomacy,” Erdoğan said, adding that Türkiye’s outreach aims to safeguard human dignity and offer “a voice to the conscience of humanity.”
The president also condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing what he described as Israel’s “inhumane” blockade and military operations. He said Türkiye has provided more than 101,000 tons of aid to Palestinians and will continue supporting international relief efforts.
Türkiye-Spain cooperation
Erdoğan emphasized the symbolic importance of publishing his article in El Pais, noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Alliance of Civilizations, a joint Turkish-Spanish initiative launched under the U.N. framework to foster intercultural dialogue.
He argued that the shared humanitarian traditions of Türkiye and Spain offer hope in an era of war, famine, forced migration and climate disasters. “The spirit of solidarity unites the two peoples in a profound bond that transcends geographical boundaries,” he wrote.
Despite global geopolitical tensions, Erdoğan pledged that Türkiye will persist in humanitarian outreach. “For humanitarian aid transcends political considerations,” he concluded, “it is fundamentally a matter of conscience.”
Seeking to build on their longstanding relations, Türkiye and Japan eye cooperation on defense.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met his Turkish counterpart, Yaşar Güler, in Ankara on Tuesday for talks on defense industry cooperation, including the possible supply of Turkish-made drones, as Tokyo expands the role of unmanned systems in its armed forces.
Nakatani is the first Japanese defense minister to make such an official trip to Türkiye. This NATO member country is keen to expand its economic and other ties beyond Europe and the Middle East. Türkiye and Japan are both U.S. allies.
Nakatani and Güler are expected to “discuss ways to expand cooperation on defense equipment and technology and exchange views on regional developments,” a diplomatic source in Ankara said.
They also aim to increase contacts between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces at the unit level, the source added. Nakatani is also scheduled to visit Istanbul on Wednesday.
Turkish and Japanese defense ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
During the visit, Nakatani will tour Turkish defense companies and facilities, including Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), navy shipyards, and drone maker Baykar, according to a Defense Ministry source.
“Apart from general matters, defense industry cooperation will be on the agenda … They will hold inspections regarding drones, but an agreement is not expected. It is too early for an agreement,” the Defense Ministry source said.
Turkish firms have supplied drones to several countries, including Ukraine, while Japan is preparing to expand the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles across its ground, air and naval forces.
Japan is considering Turkish drones as one of the potential options for this effort, a diplomatic source said. Nakatani’s visit to Türkiye is part of a regional tour from Aug. 17 to Aug. 22, which also includes stops in Djibouti and Jordan.
A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of 17 suspects, including Beyoğlu District Mayor Inan Güney, as part of a corruption probe into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), while 27 others were released under judicial control measures.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting the investigation into alleged fraud involving Medya A.Ş., Kültür A.Ş., and other municipal subsidiaries. Authorities say the network was linked to former IBB spokesman Murat Ongun and fugitive suspect Emrah Bağdatlı.
Police detained 44 suspects, including Güney, after identifying their involvement in multiple fraud schemes and social media operations allegedly coordinated under Ongun’s oversight. The suspects were taken to Bayrampaşa State Hospital for medical checks before being transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan.
Prosecutors questioned the suspects, later referring 20 of them, including Güney, to the court for arrest and 24 others for judicial control. In total, 45 people have been detained in connection with the investigation so far.
Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year, beginning in March.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation into the suspects, including Ekrem Imamoğlu, who was suspended from his position as Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality mayor after his arrest, on charges of “leading a criminal organization,” “membership in a criminal organization,” “extortion,” “bribery,” “aggravated fraud,” “unlawful acquisition of personal data” and “tender rigging.”
The Istanbul police office’s teams from the Financial Crimes Department determined that those held in the latest operation are suspected of involvement in fraudulent activities at companies linked to the Istanbul municipality.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) took a significant blow in the March 2024 municipal elections, but it has since been recouping losses as opposition mayors switch sides. A total of 56 mayors from opposition parties and independents have joined the party since the elections. Currently, the AK Party holds mayoral seats in 599 out of 1,401 seats across Türkiye.
The party has won mayoral seats in 12 metropolitan municipalities, 12 city municipalities, 347 district municipalities and 170 town municipalities in the 2024 elections. Last week, nine more mayors joined the AK Party during a ceremony to mark the party’s 24th anniversary, including Özlem Çerçioğlu, a renowned and long-serving mayor for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the western province of Aydın.
The AK Party has made a name for itself with its municipal services and has enjoyed a streak of election success in all municipal elections since the early 2000s. Yet, the 2024 elections curbed its nationwide influence slightly, especially after losing several strongholds to the CHP.
The majority of those joining the AK Party as mayors are from the New Welfare Party (YRP), which positions itself with a similar ideology to the party. The party has supported the People’s Alliance, led by the AK Party, in the 2023 general elections, although it later went its own way and fielded candidates in the 2024 municipal elections. Fourteen independent mayors have also joined the AK Party since the municipal vote. The AK Party gained seven mayors from the CHP, mostly those who fell out with the new administration of Türkiye’s oldest party, which took office after an intraparty election in November 2023. The CHP portrays itself as the exact opposite of the AK Party, although it courted several prominent figures who have been ideologically aligned with the ruling party in the past.
In the 2023 general elections, the CHP helped several former members of the AK Party win parliamentary seats, as they were nominated from CHP lists instead of running for their own parties, which had a weak chance of success. The AK Party also saw seven mayors from the Good Party (IP) joining it. The rest of the mayors switching allegiance to the AK Party were from the Felicity Party (SP), the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA).
The AK Party’s losses in the 2024 local vote are widely regarded as the electorate’s reaction to certain underperforming mayors and the party in general amid worries over the heightened cost of living. But the longstanding party hopes to recover in the next election, relying on boosting what it calls “the 1994 spirit.” The party’s founder and incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is credited with introducing a new model of municipal governance when he won the municipal elections in Türkiye’s most populated city, Istanbul, that year. Erdoğan’s accomplishments as mayor set an example for future municipalities of the AK Party. The AK Party secured successive victories in municipal elections, following in the footsteps of Erdoğan, and is credited with turning around the fortunes of most cities and districts, which had suffered from negligence in public services under the reign of mayors from opposition parties.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has plunged into turmoil as neighborhood delegate elections that began on Aug. 13 have been marred by chaos, fights and allegations of fraud within the first week, exposing deep rifts within the main opposition party.
What began as routine elections to select neighborhood delegates quickly turned into battlegrounds across Türkiye. From Samsun to Izmit and Erzurum, incidents of violence, shouting matches and police intervention have highlighted the widening divide between the CHP’s central leadership and internal opposition groups.
The most violent episode erupted in Atakum, a district of northern Samsun province, where a verbal dispute between rival camps escalated into a fistfight on Tuesday.
Witnesses reported that one man suffered a brain hemorrhage during the melee, and the district chairperson candidate, Şevket Özkaya, was kicked. Police detained two individuals after the altercation.
Amid the brawl, Atakum District Chair Adem Kürek was heard shouting “God damn you” at opponents, sparking public outrage and making him a target of criticism online.
In western Izmit province, tensions spilled over into what party members described as a dispute over which place to hold the elections.
A group protesting the election for the Alikahya Fatih area inside the Izmit district’s building clashed with municipal officials. The argument soon turned physical, drawing in other party members. Reports stated that it took officials a long time to restore order after the fight broke out.
Meanwhile, the eastern Erzurum province has become the latest flashpoint, as opposition members accused the Palandöken District Directorate of attempting to manipulate the electoral process.
The district leadership allegedly moved the election date forward without authorization, in what critics described as a blatant violation of party bylaws. Opposition representatives vowed to file a criminal complaint, saying the maneuver was designed to block challengers and protect the interests of the party’s entrenched leadership.
The clashes underscore long-standing tensions between the party headquarters and dissident members, many of whom accuse the central leadership of stifling democracy and sidelining grassroots voices.
The turmoil also comes as the CHP faces mounting scrutiny over corruption allegations in municipalities it controls. Dozens, including the ousted mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoğlu, have been arrested in investigations on a criminal organization that profited from rigged tenders and bribery schemes.
The CHP is also fighting a court case over alleged vote buying in its 2023 leadership elections, which also targets Imamoğlu, who is accused of “buying” delegate support to oust current Chair Özgür Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Meanwhile, the CHP is preparing to unveil a new party program aimed at redefining its political agenda. A “Program Workshop” is scheduled for Sept. 4-9 in Ankara, bringing together Özel, central executive board members, party council representatives and provincial delegates from across Türkiye.
The draft program, shaped by fieldwork in all 81 provinces and 973 districts, covers key areas such as education, health care, justice, the economy, foreign policy and youth. Overseen by Secretary-General Selin Sayek Böke, the process has incorporated public feedback gathered by local organizations.
The finalized program will be submitted for approval to 1,323 delegates at the CHP’s 39th Ordinary Congress, expected in November. A simple majority will be required to adopt the changes.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson Özgür Özel appeared not to have gotten over one of his party’s mayors joining the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Özel held a rally in Aydın, whose mayor, Özlem Çerçioğlu, left for the ruling party last week and accused the AK Party of “political pickpocketing.”
His remarks drew outrage from the AK Party as its spokesperson Ömer Çelik lambasted Özel “going beyond politics.”
“His words targeting our party are simply delirium,” Çelik said in a social media post on Tuesday.
“Özgür Özel’s third-class politics is not sufficient to grasp the reality that what the political leadership of our president meant for the nation. His ugly expressions hurled at our president mean nothing to us. It is Özel himself who is politically weak. It is his party that resorted to political pickpocketing for years by standing hostile against the nation’s will and by failing to confront the shameful outlook today,” he said, referring to corruption allegations against CHP-run municipalities.
“Özel would contribute to our political life if he could confront political scandals within his party. Otherwise, his remarks are merely an attempt to cover up the truth,” he said.
The CHP leader lashed out at Çerçioğlu in his speech in Aydın as he called for her resignation and branded her a “coward.”
“We are after you,” he said, before mocking Çerçioğlu over her nickname “efe,” a local Turkish name in Aydın used for fearless people. Çerçioğlu, in return, announced that she’d filed a lawsuit against Özel over the latter’s alleged insults.
DMM’den ‘Terrorismless Türkiye Commission to deny the slanders: completely unfounded
Reaction to Ozgur Ozel from Burhanettin Duran, President of Communication to Ozgur: The bottom of negative politics
An agreement was reached in approximately 2 million files by reconciliation method
DMM’den ‘Terrorismless Türkiye Commission to deny the slanders: completely unfounded
Reaction to Ozgur Ozel from Burhanettin Duran, President of Communication to Ozgur: The bottom of negative politics
An agreement was reached in approximately 2 million files by reconciliation method
-
Lifestyle3 days agoUNESCO site, ancient bridges put Türkiye’s Adıyaman on tourism map
-
Daily Agenda3 days agoRed Bulletin 10 criminals sought at international and national level were caught
-
Sports3 days agoChimaev warns rivals with dominating UFC title win over du Plessis
-
Economy3 days agoAnalysts weigh risks as Trump slams Goldman on tariff forecasts
-
Daily Agenda3 days ago“90 minutes” response from the AK Party Bursalı: “Cemil Tugay broke the promise of election, cheated on Izmir”
-
Politics3 days agoErdoğan urges world to stop ‘humanitarian collapse’ in Gaza
-
Sports2 days agoPSG win to open Ligue 1 campaign, Espanyol stun Atleti in La Liga
-
Economy2 days agoTürkiye’s housing market sees lowest price increase in year