Turkey elections

Ozgur Ozel, head of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), gestures toward supporters during a rally in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Ankara, April 23, 2025.

Turkish prosecutors probe main opposition leader Ozel, oust mayors

The probes, following Ozel's criticism of the judiciary, come amid five additional district mayors' dismissal from their duties.

ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan angles to retain power despite denying plans for third term

As Turkey's president touts democratic reform, critics say he’s laying the groundwork to bypass term limits.

Medin

Turkey convicts Swedish journalist of insulting Erdogan with terror trial next

Joakim Medin will remain behind bars awaiting prosecution on terror-related charges that press freedom groups say aim to silence the free press.

Ballot papers are counted after members of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipal Council cast their votes to elect an interim deputy mayor.

Turkey deports BBC reporter as detentions near 1,880 amid protest crackdown

A BBC journalist was deported as Turkish authorities widened their media crackdown, with around 250 people having been detained pending trial during protests.

Latest News

Turkey's opposition elects acting mayor as Imamoglu remains detained, protests persist

Newly elected interim mayor of Istanbul, Nuri Aslan of CHP, waits to speak to the media on March 26, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Imamoglu's arrest triggers emergency market measures as Turkey stocks plunge

Protesters clash with Turkish riot police using tear gas and water cannon during a demonstration following the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul in Ankara, on March 22, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey’s shaky economy early casualty of Imamoglu’s arrest on terror charges

University student wave Turkish national flags as they gather in protest in Besiktas district in Istanbul on March 20, 2025 following Istanbul metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's detention over a corruption probe.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Erdogan’s enduring grip over Turkey assured with Imamoglu's arrest

Supporters of Istanbul metropolitan mayor Ekrem Imamoglu hold a poster of him as they demonstrate outside Istanbul townhall against his detention over a corruption probe in Istanbul on March 19, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Saudi Aramco CEO

Analysis

With Saudi Aramco's $50 billion deal, Turkey seeks less dependency on West

The two major regional powers had grown distant over the years due to Erdogan’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and the 2018 killing at the consulate in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Turkey election

After reelection, can Erdogan tackle Turkey's economic woes?

In a bid to restore investor confidence in Turkey, Erdogan is reportedly seeking to convince Mehmet Simsek, a well-respected former minister, to return to the helm of the economy.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party.

Turkey’s beleaguered Kurds weigh new strategies after Erdogan’s win

The key question following the vote is whether the alliance between the HDP and the main opposition Republican People’s Party and its Table of Six partners can endure.

A picture shows election flags displaying imprisoned Selahattin Demirtas.

Turkey’s jailed Kurdish leader quits active politics after Erdogan’s victory

Selahattin Demirtas' announcement comes amid heated public debate over whether Kemal Kilicdaroglu would resign after he was defeated by President Erdogan in Sunday’s runoff.

Erdogan MBZ

Turkey, UAE ratify $40 billion trade deal after Erdogan's victory

Abu Dhabi’s ratification of the partnership agreement came three days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s election victory.

Turkish actress Merve Dizdar poses during a photocall after she won the Best Actress Prize for her part in the film "Kuru Otlar Ustune" (About Dry Grasses) during the closing ceremony of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 27, 2023.

Turkey's conservatives lash out at actress Merve Dizdar after Cannes win

Angry reactions to actress Merve Dizdar’s acceptance speech at the Cannes film festival may foreshadow more crackdowns on the liberal arts sector as Erdogan and a new conservative parliament takes the reins.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's opposition licks wounds with eye on next year's local elections

A morale-sapping defeat in the presidential and parliamentary elections has Turkey's opposition fretting over the March polls, when it will have to defend its 2019 municipal wins.

Portuguese air force F-16 military fighter jets participate in NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission in Lithuanian airspace near Siauliai, May 23, 2023.

Biden links Turkey's F-16 sale with Sweden's NATO bid in call to Erdogan

US President Joe Biden congratulated Turkey's incumbent president and expressed intent to move forward on F-16 sales to Turkey and Sweden's bid to join NATO.

Washington Connection

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a press conference in Ankara, on March 9, 2022. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel quick to congratulate Turkey's Erdogan, expects boost in ties

The phone calls of President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reelected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reflect Israel’s hope for preserving and expanding rehabilitated bilateral ties.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Men drink chai in the street the day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was re-elected on May 29, 2023 in Istanbul,Turkey. Erdogan won another five-year term after being forced into a runoff with the opposition politician Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Erdogan prevailed despite criticism of his management of the country's economy and the government's response to the devastating earthquakes earlier this year. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Turkish lira slips to new low as Erdogan forms economic team

Turkey's currency has dropped again in the wake of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reelection.

Flags fly over Taksim Square showing Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and CHP presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu on May 13, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. On May 14th, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will face his biggest electoral test as the country goes to the polls in the country's general election. Erdogan has been in power for more than two decades -- first as prime minister, then as president -- but his popularity has recently taken a hit due to Turkey's ongoing economic crisis and his gover

How Erdogan’s reelection will shift Turkey's foreign policy goals

Erdogan’s desire to build a legacy as an above-party national leader requires him to sustain and nurture the notion of a “strong Turkey” in foreign policy.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at his final election campaign rally of the second round of the election campaign on May 27, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. President Erdogan was forced into a runoff election when neither he nor his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP), received more than 50 percent of the vote on the May 14 election. The runoff vote will be held this Sunday, May 28. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: May 30, 2023, 9:39 am

Turkey's Erdogan wins election, solidifying his grip on power

As foreign leaders rushed to congratulate President Erdogan over his election victory, the president maintained a polarizing tone against his rivals during his victory speech.