Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the lawmakers of his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party during the new year’s first meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 201.? Read more » (AP Photo) Elections 2011 from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M Mavi Boncuk | Following the Turkish constitutional referendum, 2010, which the ruling party won, … Read more
Kurdish Town of Cizre Becomes Bilingual from Bianet :: English The departments in the southeast Cizre municipality building, controlled by the pro-Kurdish BDP are titled in both Turkish and Kurdish. Inspite that Turkey officially recognizes only the Turkish language locals mother tongue Kurdish, will be openly used in public institutions. says deputy mayor Gölçe. Gül?s … Read more
Erdoğan, BDP and bilingualism by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK The bilingual debate recently sparked by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has expanded, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan now weighing in. After remaining silent for a time, Erdoğan has now strongly rejected opening the language issue to debate, saying that Turkey has only one … Read more
Turkey?s opaque system of political financing by istanbulnotes In my most recent post I highlighted the seeming over-reliance of Turkey?s political parties on state funding. But what of the role of private funding in Turkish politics? When we think about the corruption of the political process, it is usually private money we are talking about. … Read more
New CHP assembly members: From left: Faruk Loğoğlu, Sencer Ayata, Binnaz Toprak, Sezgin Tanrıluku. http://twitter.com/nuhyilmaz/statuses/16203490183348224 http://twitter.com/nuhyilmaz/statuses/16204432089817088 http://twitter.com/nuhyilmaz/statuses/16205397496958976 http://twitter.com/nuhyilmaz/statuses/16205773973487616 http://twitter.com/nuhyilmaz/statuses/16206902836858880 CHP?s soul-searching by YAVUZ BAYDAR The extraordinary congress of the Republican People?s Party (CHP) which will take place this weekend in Ankara is an event borne out of a political urge for the worn-out main opposition … Read more
Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during an Ashura procession in Istanbul December 16, 2010. Thousands of Shi’ite Muslims gathered in Istanbul’s Halkali district to commemorate the Ashura, where Shi’ite mourners beat themselves with steel-tipped flails or slash their bodies with knives to mark the death anniversary of Imam Hussein, a grandson of … Read more
Meeting with Öcalan?s lawyers? from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists by HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE Last Sunday, I had a meeting with jailed leader of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK) Abdullah Öcalan?s lawyers in Yalova. Öcalan?s lawyers have been meeting with many writers for two years. PKK leader hints at alliance … Read more
It is not even surprising any more and now I expect from the government some substantive democratic moves… Two Generals and an Admiral Sacked from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White This week three high-level military officers were suspended by government ministers for their alleged involvement in the Sledgehammer anti-government coup plot, one of several that are part … Read more
Kılıçdaroğlu in Diyarbakır … and there was also talk about a possible BDP-CHP alliance for the elections. Interestingly BDP officials seemed to be more enthusiastic for the alliance but nationalists sensibilities of CHP leaders prevented such an alliance in near times… Kılıçdaroğlu?s Kurdish initiative by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK Republican People?s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, … Read more
CHP leader announced his arguments on headscard thru his Twitter account. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli also joined Twitter. the President has already been active. PM Erdoğan seems to be leading the unfriendly camp against Twitter (and Web culture in general). http://twitter.com/yorumluyorum/status/2736144458457088 Superonline hails ‘the age of fiber’ in Gaziantep from Hurriyet Dailynews Superonline, Turkcell?s profitable … Read more
I believe K. Kılıçdaroğlu/Gürsel Tekin duo may be the best option for CHP leadership at the moment… FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Kılıçdaroğlu?s leadership move Republican People?s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who has been a target of criticism for working in the shadow of former CHP Secretary-General Önder Sav, has ended his alliance with Sav. … Read more
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (L) and former party Secretary-General Önder Sav. AA photo CHP jolts with deep crisis as Kılıçdaroğlu, Sav face off ?Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the new party leader, kicked the party’s powerful Secretary-General Önder Sav out of the party administration and announced a new list FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – CHP?s intra-party fights The honeymoon … Read more
The army is in a losing battle. They have lost most of their ground. It seems that they cannot even control their (supposedly) tightly sealed structure (ie. latest spy operation) I personally do not give a shit; better not to see uniformed people among civilians… Turkey’s Chief of Staff Gen. Isik Kosaner, right, shakes hands … Read more
And there were Turkish, Arabic and Syrian in addition to Kurdish banners.. Kurdish language program at university sign of Turkish prosperity, says Gül from Hurriyet Dailynews Different cultures contribute to Turkey?s prosperity, President Abdullah Gül said at a ground-breaking ceremony in the southeastern Anatolian province of Mardin on Monday. FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Chief prosecutor … Read more
“Worship site” Young CHP members did not like the above piece of art and attacked the exhibition, destroyed the artifact… Young CHP members raid exhibition Today’s Zaman A group of young men, allegedly members of the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) youth branches, raided an art exhibition in İstanbul’s Beşiktaş Square on Lonely imam singular worshipper … Read more