The Turkic American Alliance (TAA), the largest national Turkic organization in the US, issued a joint statement on Tuesday with six other federations to condemn illegal acts committed by the Turkish government since Dec. 17 when a government corruption investigation became public, as well as the defamation campaigns employed by the government to vilify different groups in society.
February 11, 2014
Reuters: Turkish editor hits out at media coercion under Erdoğan
A top Turkish mainstream newspaper editor has openly decried widespread government pressure on the media, in an unusually blunt outburst against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership months ahead of elections.
Turkey's Fading Democracy
Alp Aslandoğan*
Not long ago, Turkey was considered a model of constitutional democracy in the Middle East. For this reason, President Obama chose Turkey as his first majority-Muslim destination. But this 90-year old democracy is now facing a major crisis. Four corruption investigations that touched the sons of three ministers and the prime minister have sparked massive government reaction, led to the collapse of rule of law and significantly undermined the foundations of Turkish democracy.
Not long ago, Turkey was considered a model of constitutional democracy in the Middle East. For this reason, President Obama chose Turkey as his first majority-Muslim destination. But this 90-year old democracy is now facing a major crisis. Four corruption investigations that touched the sons of three ministers and the prime minister have sparked massive government reaction, led to the collapse of rule of law and significantly undermined the foundations of Turkish democracy.
Who put those 4.5 million dollars there?
Murat Yetkin
Let’s assume that the graft probe, which started on Dec. 17, 2013, was not an actual corruption case but a “coup attempt” against the Tayyip Erdoğan government in Turkey.
Let’s assume that the graft probe, which started on Dec. 17, 2013, was not an actual corruption case but a “coup attempt” against the Tayyip Erdoğan government in Turkey.
You Cannot Understand the Servants!
Ahmet Kurucan
This is going to be the second time; with your permission, I would like to make another exception in this column that covers topics only on Islamic law and Islamic methodology for several years.
This is going to be the second time; with your permission, I would like to make another exception in this column that covers topics only on Islamic law and Islamic methodology for several years.
February 10, 2014
Gülen's defense against Erdoğan's onslaught
Abdullah Bozkurt
In April 2011, I asked the main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu about what he thought of the slanderous remarks uttered by his deputy İsa Gök. Gök had targeted Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen while at the speaker's podium in Parliament. Without hesitation, Kılıçdaroğlu criticized Gök's remarks, saying Parliament is a platform to criticize the actions of the government. “Targeting non-political people in Parliament is wrong and unacceptable,” he said, asking his deputies to refrain from criticizing people without any solid evidence. Let's contrast that with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's unrelenting attacks against Gülen since the corruption investigation of Dec. 17, 2013, which implicated himself, his family, his ministers and businessmen close to his government.
In April 2011, I asked the main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu about what he thought of the slanderous remarks uttered by his deputy İsa Gök. Gök had targeted Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen while at the speaker's podium in Parliament. Without hesitation, Kılıçdaroğlu criticized Gök's remarks, saying Parliament is a platform to criticize the actions of the government. “Targeting non-political people in Parliament is wrong and unacceptable,” he said, asking his deputies to refrain from criticizing people without any solid evidence. Let's contrast that with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's unrelenting attacks against Gülen since the corruption investigation of Dec. 17, 2013, which implicated himself, his family, his ministers and businessmen close to his government.
Why didn't Chuck Hagel visit Turkey?
Lale Kemal
Neither the US nor the European Union are of the general opinion that there is a “parallel state” headed by the Hizmet movement, whose leader, an Islamic scholar named Fethullah Gülen, lives in the US, while the Turkish government blames the movement for orchestrating a high-profile graft probe linked to allies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Neither the US nor the European Union are of the general opinion that there is a “parallel state” headed by the Hizmet movement, whose leader, an Islamic scholar named Fethullah Gülen, lives in the US, while the Turkish government blames the movement for orchestrating a high-profile graft probe linked to allies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Fethullah Gulen’s Prominence in Indonesia
Dr. Ali Unsal*
Indonesia is a brotherly country, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, with a potential to find a place for itself among the most developed countries in the world.
Indonesia is a brotherly country, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, with a potential to find a place for itself among the most developed countries in the world.
Toward a party state
Ekrem Dumanlı
A few years ago, we journalists asked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan some questions at a TV interview aired on a news channel.
A few years ago, we journalists asked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan some questions at a TV interview aired on a news channel.
February 9, 2014
The Hizmet movement and participatory democracy
Gökhan Bacık
The differences between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Hizmet movement have become critically important since the graft probe of Dec. 17. The government quickly declared that there was no corruption. According to the government, Dec. 17 saw an organized attack meant to topple the government. However, almost all public surveys confirm that at least 65 percent of Turkish people disagree with the government, and believe that the graft probe that was made public that day addressed a corruption issue.
The differences between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Hizmet movement have become critically important since the graft probe of Dec. 17. The government quickly declared that there was no corruption. According to the government, Dec. 17 saw an organized attack meant to topple the government. However, almost all public surveys confirm that at least 65 percent of Turkish people disagree with the government, and believe that the graft probe that was made public that day addressed a corruption issue.
Toward an Islamic enlightenment
Şahin Alpay
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who has put forward an interpretation of Islam that advocates peace, democracy, secularism (in the sense of freedom of religion and conscience for all), science, education and a market economy, and who has supported interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding and respect for people of different ethnic and religious identities and lifestyles, has been the topic of much curiosity for native as well as foreign observers of Turkey.
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who has put forward an interpretation of Islam that advocates peace, democracy, secularism (in the sense of freedom of religion and conscience for all), science, education and a market economy, and who has supported interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding and respect for people of different ethnic and religious identities and lifestyles, has been the topic of much curiosity for native as well as foreign observers of Turkey.
NY Times: Turkey Deports Journalist for Criticizing Government on Twitter
Turkey deported an Azerbaijani journalist on Friday for “posting tweets against high-level state officials,” according to an Interior Ministry order obtained by his newspaper, the English-language daily Today’s Zaman.
The preacher shaking up Turkey — from America*
Fethullah Gulen, a frail 75-year-old Islamic preacher with a gift for oratory, leads an ascetic life in a 10-hectare compound tucked into rolling farmland and woods here, far from the political crisis and international intrigue he is accused of instigating in his native Turkey.
'Everybody reads about Prophet Muhammad'
A nationwide campaign entitled “Everybody reads about him,” which was recently launched by Peygamber Yolu (The Prophet's Path Association) in order to help the Turkish public acquire a broader knowledge of the life of Prophet Muhammad, continues to attract attention.
Kimse Yok Mu reaches out to Syrians in joint project with UNHCR
The Turkish aid organization Kimse Yok Mu is conducting a joint project with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide monetary assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey in an effort to “normalize” their lives as much as possible.
February 8, 2014
Media freedom in Turkey takes another blow
Tülin Daloğlu
The feud between the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s camp and the US-based Sunni religious leader Fethullah Gulen supporters, which hit the surface about two months ago by the revelation of the graft probe against key government members, narrowed down to one single name today, Feb. 7: Mahir Zeynalov. This Azeri-born columnist for Today’s Zaman, identified as a supporter of the Gulen Movement in Istanbul, was deported earlier in the day because he posted two tweets on Dec. 25, drawing attention to news articles that talked about Erdogan’s troubling relationship with Yasin al-Qadi, whom the United States considers to be the financier of al-Qaeda.
The feud between the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s camp and the US-based Sunni religious leader Fethullah Gulen supporters, which hit the surface about two months ago by the revelation of the graft probe against key government members, narrowed down to one single name today, Feb. 7: Mahir Zeynalov. This Azeri-born columnist for Today’s Zaman, identified as a supporter of the Gulen Movement in Istanbul, was deported earlier in the day because he posted two tweets on Dec. 25, drawing attention to news articles that talked about Erdogan’s troubling relationship with Yasin al-Qadi, whom the United States considers to be the financier of al-Qaeda.
February 7, 2014
The last refuge of losers: deporting a journalist
İhsan Yılmaz
I am sure most of our readers know my Today's Zaman colleague Mahir Zeynalov better than they know me. He is a very accomplished Twitter user. His Turkish twitter account has 57,000 followers and the English one has 87,000 followers. Last year, he was chosen as one of the 10 most effective twitter users in Turkey. His Today's Zaman blog posts are well-read and widely shared.
I am sure most of our readers know my Today's Zaman colleague Mahir Zeynalov better than they know me. He is a very accomplished Twitter user. His Turkish twitter account has 57,000 followers and the English one has 87,000 followers. Last year, he was chosen as one of the 10 most effective twitter users in Turkey. His Today's Zaman blog posts are well-read and widely shared.
Lawyers, academics say ‘parallel state' was invented to block graft probe
Lawyers and academics, in a manifesto released on Thursday, say the concept of a “parallel state” was invented by the government to cover up the major corruption scandal which erupted on Dec. 17, implicating various businessmen and government officials, stating that this concept is being used by the government to place the blame for the unlawful acts on the Hizmet movement.
Gülen's lawyer files criminal complaint against several Twitter accounts
Prominent Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen's lawyer Nurullah Albayrak filed a criminal complaint against Twitter users Gizli Arşiv, Wake Up Attack and Yeşil Operasyon for “setting up an organization for criminal purposes” on Friday.
Gülen movement's silent majority
Orhan Miroğlu
I am definitely someone who is curious about how the Gülen (Hizmet) movement's educational institutions, which are all over the globe, are going to be affected by the developments in the wake of the events of Dec. 17.
I am definitely someone who is curious about how the Gülen (Hizmet) movement's educational institutions, which are all over the globe, are going to be affected by the developments in the wake of the events of Dec. 17.
Reuters: Turkish paper says journalist expelled for criticizing Erdogan
A Turkish newspaper said on Friday one of its journalists had been ordered to leave the country for criticizing Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Twitter, raising concerns about media freedom a day after Turkey tightened internet controls.
Deputy slams AK Party with creating crisis as he resigns from party
Another deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), İlhan İşbilen, slammed his party for creating crisis in the country instead of solving the current corruption scandal that erupted in December as he resigned in protest of the government's response to a graft scandal that has implicated the sons of three ministers and businessmen close to the government as well as the chief of a state bank.
Erdogan Moves to Shut Prep Schools in Blow to Gulen Followers
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government submitted a bill to parliament to shut down about 4,000 prep schools, about a quarter of them linked to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Palauan President: We would like to participate in Turkish Language Olympics
A delegation including President of Turkish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (TCCP), Irfan Karabulut, and International Foundation Schools General Manager, Malik Gencer, had been to the island country Palau to pay a visit to the country’s president, Thomas Esang Remengesau; Social and Cultural Affairs Minister, Baktai Temengil Chilton; and Palau Chamber of Commerce President, Kaleb Udui.
Vocational training center for Albanian women
Kimse Yok Mu Foundation in cooperation with the local Compassion Foundation has recently launched a vocational training center for the Albanian women. The center is named after the miniature artist Gunseli Kato. Comprised of studios and galleries, the center will offer training in 20 different departments.
Uplifting Romanian children in need
The Bucharest-based and Turkish-initiated Tuna Foundation and Kimse Yok Mu Foundation joined together to bring joy to the Romanian children in need.
February 6, 2014
40 CSOs in US slam hate speech being used by gov't officials
A total of 40 civil society organizations serving in various states of the US under the umbrella of the Houston-based Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE) have criticized the hateful language adopted by top government officials after a major corruption scandal erupted back in December, saying that society is deliberately being polarized by these officials.
Did they make mistake?
Hüseyin Gülerce
We are experiencing a period of turmoil in which we strongly need the supremacy of law, the presumption of innocence and the individuality of criminal offenses.
We are experiencing a period of turmoil in which we strongly need the supremacy of law, the presumption of innocence and the individuality of criminal offenses.
Turkish schools very well respected and trusted, Pakistan’s Education minister
Abdülhamit Bilici
Turkish schools initiated by hundreds of volunteer educators, which have been targeted by some groups, continue to build bridges between Turkey and the rest of the world. People have always welcomed the Turkish schools with open arms and appreciated the achievements of these educational institutions.
Turkish schools initiated by hundreds of volunteer educators, which have been targeted by some groups, continue to build bridges between Turkey and the rest of the world. People have always welcomed the Turkish schools with open arms and appreciated the achievements of these educational institutions.
Academics sign statement saying ‘rule of law suspended'
Academics signed a statement declaring that rule of law in Turkey has been suspended since a corruption scandal implicating various businessmen and government officials erupted on Dec. 17.
UNESCO Global Monitoring Report and Turkish Schools
Muhammet Mertek
Education is the primary issue in the world, a recent report by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reveals. Earlier in 2000, UNESCO launched a project, Education for All, aimed to monitor the progress in education in six categories. It is one of the world’s largest programs. Monitoring reports periodically displays the progress towards the goal in each country. The recent such report pronounces a global education crisis, which is worth to be accentuated.
Education is the primary issue in the world, a recent report by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reveals. Earlier in 2000, UNESCO launched a project, Education for All, aimed to monitor the progress in education in six categories. It is one of the world’s largest programs. Monitoring reports periodically displays the progress towards the goal in each country. The recent such report pronounces a global education crisis, which is worth to be accentuated.
Who will Gülen followers vote for?
Mustafa Akyol
The current political battle in Turkey has come to staggering levels. The supporters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Fethullah Gülen Movement attack each other relentlessly in the media, the social media and behind the dark corners of the state. The level of resentment and anger is unbelievable. It is even more striking when one considers that both sides largely consists of pious Muslims whose values and lifestyles are actually quite similar.
The current political battle in Turkey has come to staggering levels. The supporters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Fethullah Gülen Movement attack each other relentlessly in the media, the social media and behind the dark corners of the state. The level of resentment and anger is unbelievable. It is even more striking when one considers that both sides largely consists of pious Muslims whose values and lifestyles are actually quite similar.
February 5, 2014
Is the March 30 referendum in danger?
İhsan Yılmaz
Yes, I know that Turkey will have local elections on March 30, 2014, but Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has already turned it into a referendum in which the public will make a decision about the corruption allegations against him and his friends.
Yes, I know that Turkey will have local elections on March 30, 2014, but Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has already turned it into a referendum in which the public will make a decision about the corruption allegations against him and his friends.
Reuters: Gülen's followers pose biggest threat to Turkey's Erdoğan
At the FEM University Preparation School in Üsküdar, a conservative district on the Asian side of İstanbul, young men are quietly receiving specialised coaching in how to pass the exams that give access to the most important jobs in Turkey.
President Gül dismisses calls to help tackle political turmoil
President Abdullah Gül has dismissed calls for him to be more active in tackling the political turmoil Turkey is facing due to a recent graft scandal that has implicated prominent businessmen and the sons of ministers.
Pakistani Education Minister hails Turkish schools
The Turkish schools abroad continue to establish bridges of friendship around the world. Muhammad Baligh Rahman, the Pakistani Minister of Education, said his fellow citizens have embraced their local Turkish schools.
The Gülen Movement and Turkish Soft Power*
Bayram Balcı
For more than a decade, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has enjoyed unwavering support from the religious and social movement of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar. Through a unique, transnational approach, Gülen and his followers have built up a global web of influence, creating schools, business associations, and cultural institutions on virtually every continent.
For more than a decade, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has enjoyed unwavering support from the religious and social movement of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar. Through a unique, transnational approach, Gülen and his followers have built up a global web of influence, creating schools, business associations, and cultural institutions on virtually every continent.
February 4, 2014
Can Erdoğan finish off the Gülen movement?
Mahir Zeynalov
The Western media has falsely portrayed the recent developments in Turkey as the latest chapter in the power struggle between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and influential Turkish cleric and scholar Fethullah Gülen.
The Western media has falsely portrayed the recent developments in Turkey as the latest chapter in the power struggle between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and influential Turkish cleric and scholar Fethullah Gülen.
CSOs slam ongoing black propaganda against Hizmet movement
Various civil society organizations (CSOs) from the provinces of Aydın, İzmir and Ağrı held press conferences on Tuesday slamming an ongoing black propaganda campaign being conducted by the government against the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, saying that top government officials should refrain from using hateful rhetoric.
Opposition warns president not to ignore interference into judiciary
Turkey's opposition has endorsed the Journalists and Writers Foundation's (GYV) call on President Abdullah Gül to take the initiative in investigating the executive branch's recent attempts to render the judiciary dysfunctional.
Should Hizmet establish a political party?
Hüseyin Gülerce
I need to underscore three points before answering the question above. First, the "parallel structure" rhetoric is being used as a slogan for extrajudicial execution. It is employed as a resource for engineering public perceptions.
I need to underscore three points before answering the question above. First, the "parallel structure" rhetoric is being used as a slogan for extrajudicial execution. It is employed as a resource for engineering public perceptions.
German intelligence did not warn against Hizmet Movement
The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution [BfV]) in Germany's Baden-Württemberg region has rejected accusations that it warned the German federal government against the Hizmet movement and its activities in the country.
Securitizing the Hizmet/Gulen movement
Mustafa Demir* and Ömer Şener**
Turkey’s most influential and widely respected civil society organisation, the Hizmet movement, is under continual attack by PM Erdoğan who accuses it of seeking to establish a “parallel state”. Such rhetoric and 'securitization' may destroy the democratic fabric of Turkish society.
Turkey’s most influential and widely respected civil society organisation, the Hizmet movement, is under continual attack by PM Erdoğan who accuses it of seeking to establish a “parallel state”. Such rhetoric and 'securitization' may destroy the democratic fabric of Turkish society.
Why is the PKK siding with the AKP in the AKP-Gulen conflict?
Mustafa Akyol
On Feb. 2, the Turkish daily Vatan published an interview with Cemil Bayik, one of the leading “commanders” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The interviewer, Rusen Cakir, is a prominent Turkish journalist known for his expertise on the Kurdish issue, political Islam and the current political battle between the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gulen movement. No wonder Bayik addressed this hot topic in Turkish politics. At the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq's Kandil Mountains, the guerrilla leader shared various views about Turkish politics, but the bottom line was the Vatan headline: “Behind the [Gulen] community, there is America; they want to get rid of Erdogan.”
On Feb. 2, the Turkish daily Vatan published an interview with Cemil Bayik, one of the leading “commanders” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The interviewer, Rusen Cakir, is a prominent Turkish journalist known for his expertise on the Kurdish issue, political Islam and the current political battle between the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gulen movement. No wonder Bayik addressed this hot topic in Turkish politics. At the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq's Kandil Mountains, the guerrilla leader shared various views about Turkish politics, but the bottom line was the Vatan headline: “Behind the [Gulen] community, there is America; they want to get rid of Erdogan.”
Turkish military only winner in current turmoil
Lale Kemal
The nature of a debate a ruling party deputy triggered soon after the December disclosure of a high-profile corruption scandal that hit Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's inner circle is such that it will leave the Turkish military the only winner in Turkey's current turmoil.
The nature of a debate a ruling party deputy triggered soon after the December disclosure of a high-profile corruption scandal that hit Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's inner circle is such that it will leave the Turkish military the only winner in Turkey's current turmoil.
Why are they calling Fethullah Gülen back?
Ahmet Hakan
Not a day goes by without someone from the government calling on Fethullah Gülen to come back.
Not a day goes by without someone from the government calling on Fethullah Gülen to come back.
Turkey’s once-worldly aims falter, even close allies concerned
Michael Shank*
From a political perspective, defending Turkey's blend of political Islam and neoliberal economic policies was not terribly difficult a decade ago.
From a political perspective, defending Turkey's blend of political Islam and neoliberal economic policies was not terribly difficult a decade ago.
February 3, 2014
Fethullah Gülen files libel case against PM Erdoğan
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi has filed libel suit against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for remarks Erdoğan made about him in his recent speechs, which Gülen's lawyer says full of with derogatory and insolent remarks.
Reuters: Turkish government fights graft scandal with probe of 'parallel state'
Turkey is launching a criminal investigation into an alleged "parallel state" backed by a U.S.-based cleric and accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating a corruption scandal to unseat him, senior Turkish officials said.
Prime minister's inconsistencies raise eyebrows
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan frequently alludes to how he is a politician who stands behind his words and how what he has done in the past is an assurance of what he will do in the future, but there has been so much variance in the discourse of Turkey's leader that it has become difficult not to question the truth as he sees it.
GYV calls on President Gül to investigate interference with judiciary
The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), whose honorary chairman is Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, has stated that a hate crime is being carried out against the Hizmet movement in Turkey and called on President Abdullah Gül to take the initiative in investigating the executive branch's recent attempts to render the judiciary dysfunctional.
State Islam versus civic Islam
Mümtazer Türköne
There is something unconvincing in the war the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been waging against the Hizmet (Gülen) movement. The AK Party is deliberately escalating tension and, through this method, it hopes to get rid of the corruption probe.
There is something unconvincing in the war the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been waging against the Hizmet (Gülen) movement. The AK Party is deliberately escalating tension and, through this method, it hopes to get rid of the corruption probe.
What did you do, if Hizmet did everything?
Nuh Gönültaş, Bugün
To cover up claims of corruption, Turkey has taken a position in the middle of a triangle between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and Ergenekon.
To cover up claims of corruption, Turkey has taken a position in the middle of a triangle between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and Ergenekon.
‘PM’s demonization of all opponents cause for worry on democracy’
The president of the US-based Freedom House, David J. Kramer, said that the increased harshness of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government's attacks on any group that opposes it and its targeting of the Gülen movement are leading the organization to worry about Turkey's democracy and stability.
The impact of corruption on elections
Abdullah Bozkurt
The corruption scandals that have plagued the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and people around him since Dec. 17 of last year will have serious impacts on the political landscape in Turkey. Rampant corruption in the government is not an unknown phenomenon for Turks, yet the sheer size and magnitude of the recent scandals, which involved billions of dollars in money laundering, influence-peddling and land development schemes, allegedly committed by at least half a dozen Cabinet members, have shocked everybody in Turkey. Perhaps next to the economy, which shows signs of distress, with an immediate impact on households' budgets, this corruption is the second most important issue for voters.
The corruption scandals that have plagued the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and people around him since Dec. 17 of last year will have serious impacts on the political landscape in Turkey. Rampant corruption in the government is not an unknown phenomenon for Turks, yet the sheer size and magnitude of the recent scandals, which involved billions of dollars in money laundering, influence-peddling and land development schemes, allegedly committed by at least half a dozen Cabinet members, have shocked everybody in Turkey. Perhaps next to the economy, which shows signs of distress, with an immediate impact on households' budgets, this corruption is the second most important issue for voters.
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