The Nightmare Before Kısmet

Issue #232

Five black swan events in Ankara. A thousand crows over Van. Cobwebs in the Marmara.

Is this peace process directed by Hitchcock or is the weather just saying hava nice Halloween? Sea snot swirl, you’ll be an omen soon.

In this week’s recap:

• CHP mayor arrested, protests loom

• Trustee implications on CHP leadership

• Peace process updates

• Media misreports Turkey’s BRICS bid

• Latest EU report finds slow progress

• Domestic and diplomatic wraps

• Influencers get ‘ethical’ training

Also from us this week: 

• Gonca Tokyol and Ingrid Woudwijk report on the local businesses reopening in Antakya

• And on Fridays, Azra Ceylan delivers Economy recap with the latest business news

İmamoğlu addresses protesters at Çağlayan courthouse Wednesday. © İBB

Greetings from Turkey, the land that never gives you the chance to get bored.

CHP’s Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was detained early Wednesday morning at his home in İstanbul and, around midnight, he was placed under arrest in pretrial detention.

Özer was removed from office by the Interior Ministry and replaced by a deputy governor (aka trustee) shortly after the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office claimed he had been in contact with PKK figures.

Özer, a former academic originally from Van, was an "Urban Consensus" candidate, meaning he was elected with the help of Kurdish votes – almost one-fifth in the district – in the 2024 local elections.

Before taking the post, Özer served as an advisor to İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. He was also mentioned as a possible interlocutor during the last Peace Process 10 years ago and his communications have been monitored ever since.

CHP leader Özgür Özel condemned the arrest as "the ugly game, the big conspiracy", while İstanbul mayor İmamoğlu deemed it as a "coup" and joined the protests outside İstanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse Wednesday night.

The main opposition party will protest the replacement of Özer, together with the DEM Party, later today in Esenyurt. Both parties summoned all their MPs to İstanbul Wednesday night, and protests are expected to continue, several sources told Turkey recap.

İlkan Dalkuç, a political commentator and Daktilo1984 contributor, told Turkey recap that the timing of the government’s trustee move was heavily affected by İmamoğlu's recent comments on Republic Day. Many saw the mayor's speech as another start for his presidential campaign.

"It's the continuation of the government’s stick and carrot strategy," Dalkuç said. "They want to end the sustainable relationship between CHP and the DEM Party. They are telling us that we would give Kurds some space if they distance themselves from CHP."

According to Dalkuç, the government could be conducting an experiment to gauge political and public reactions. Depending on what happens next, Özer might be a way to “test” the waters ahead of a possible political ban on İmamoğlu, he said.

– Gonca Tokyol

Erdoğan commemorates Republic Day at the Anıtkabir. © TCCB

Gov will tear Cerberus apart: Trustee implications on CHP leadership