Fourth Week of February 2026: Öcalan calls for democracy

Weekly Turkey Report: Fourth Week of February 2026 – Öcalan calls for democracy

Peace Process & Domestic Politics

As the flames of war continue to burn across Turkey’s geography, Ankara presses ahead with internal consolidation against forward-looking threats. On the path to peace with the Kurds, it is the Kurdish side that is taking steps while the regime drags its feet. The Kurdish side demands the rule of law and democracy; the regime’s only recourse remains repression and lawlessness. How these two opposing forces will come together remains an open question — yet the Kurdish side appears determined to forge ahead as though no such problem existed.

PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan issued a new message regarding the road map, emphasizing the following points:

• We have succeeded in overcoming the negative phase of insurrection, essentially through a unilateral act of will and practice. The period we leave behind has proven our capacity and strength to negotiate a transition from a politics of violence and division to democratic politics and integration.
• The organization’s decisions to dissolve and end the armed struggle strategy have demonstrated a mental as well as formal and practical disavowal of violence and a choice in favor of politics. This was simultaneously a declaration of mental reconciliation with the Republic.
• The relationship of citizenship must be established not on the basis of belonging to a nation, but on the basis of a bond with the state. We advocate a free citizenship grounded in freedom of religion, nationality, and thought. A constitutional citizenship relationship within democratic boundaries and founded on the integrity of the state encompasses the right to freely express and organize one’s religious, ideological, identity, and national existence.

–  We must now move from the negative phase to the phase of positive construction. A new political era and strategy is being opened. We aim to close the era of violence-based politics and open a process grounded in democratic society and the rule of law, and we invite all segments of society to create opportunities and assume responsibility in this direction.

Bahçeli’s support for Öcalan

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, who initiated the process, backed Öcalan in his weekly parliamentary group address and called for clarification of his status:

“How will the status issue of the PKK’s founding leadership be addressed? If such a problem exists — and in our view it does — how will it be resolved? How will the status gap of İmralı, which serves a Turkey free of terrorism, be closed? This debate must be had sincerely.”

Also touching on the issue of trustee appointments (kayyım), Bahçeli stated: “The trustee issue must be re-evaluated without any anxiety or hesitation, within the limits of democracy, and the two Ahmets must be allowed to take their seats.”

Meanwhile, pro-AKP media reported that legal arrangements under the process the regime calls ‘Turkey Free of Terrorism’ are planned to be enacted after the Eid al-Fitr holiday. According to Türkiye newspaper, AKP sources indicate that organization members not involved in crimes may return to Turkey under judicial supervision without the need for a change in law. The crime of membership in a terrorist organization will be abolished, and those who committed crimes on behalf of the organization will be tried as ordinary criminals.

Turkey–US Defense & Energy Cooperation

It is claimed that a massive cooperation framework linking the defense industry and energy sectors, with a total volume of $500 billion, is being negotiated between Turkey and the United States. According to reports based on local sources, this agreement is being planned as an “exit route” for Turkey to overcome the F-35 crisis that began with its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 systems and to regain access to fifth-generation fighter jets.

CHP Under Legal Pressure

Ankara’s 26th Criminal Court of First Instance’s request for consent to consolidate the file related to the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality case on March 9 was met with a sharp response from the CHP. CHP Deputy Chair Gül Çiftci emphasized that witness testimonies remained at the level of “I heard/it was said” and described the move as an attempt to “comprehensively besiege the CHP.”

Istanbul’s 40th Heavy Criminal Court, in its written response, noted that “there is no factual or legal connection between the files” and communicated that consent for consolidation was not granted. The court’s letter to Ankara’s 26th Criminal Court of First Instance stated: “Consent for consolidation has not been given, taking into account that aside from some defendants being the same, there is no factual or legal connection between the files, that the nature and character of the charges against the defendants differ, and that there is no factual or legal link between the files.”

Bolu Mayor Detained

Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan announced in an early-morning social media post that he had been taken into custody by gendarmerie units. In his post, Özcan wrote: “I was detained because thousands of students in my hometown were awarded scholarships. This is an honour for me.”

Osman Kavala Speaks Out

Osman Kavala, a businessman and civil society representative who has been imprisoned since November 1, 2017, despite the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling for his “immediate release,” expressed that he feels sorrow at the state the judicial system has reached — not only personally but on behalf of the country. Kavala stated that alongside economic decline, inequality in access to healthcare and education has grown, and that reports of femicide and worker deaths cause him deep pain.

Erdoğan’s Diploma Case

Özel recalled that President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had filed a lawsuit against him for chanting the slogan “Erdoğan without a diploma,” and announced that Erdoğan’s lawyers had requested the recusal of the judge, arguing that the judge was “not impartial.” It emerged during the hearing that the judge had requested the diploma from Erdoğan’s lawyers.

Social Media Regulation

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that a regulation targeting social media would be introduced, stating: “Social media is not a space of freedom — it must have rules; there is a deficiency here. If a person opens an account, they must bear responsibility for it. Fake and anonymous accounts must not be permitted.” Gürlek noted that everyone would be required to use verified personal accounts, adding: “We will give a period — for example, four months — to accounts used anonymously on social media. Within that period, either switch to a real account, or your account will be closed.”

Economic Indicators

According to the results of the Household Expectations Survey published by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) for the first time, citizens’ inflation expectations remain at high levels, while a limited decline was observed in exchange rate expectations. The survey shows that households’ annual inflation expectation for 12 months ahead remained unchanged from the previous month at 48.81 percent.

According to TÜİK’s January 2026 data, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent, with the number of unemployed increasing by 73,000 to reach 2 million 819 thousand. Employment fell by 516,000 and the employment rate declined to 47.9 percent. Youth unemployment stood at 14.3 percent, while the underutilized labor force rate was recorded at 29.9 percent.

According to TÜRK-İŞ’s February 2026 data, the hunger threshold for a family of four rose to TL 32,365 and the poverty threshold to TL 105,425. The cost of living for a single worker was calculated at TL 41,900. Food inflation was 3.65 percent monthly and 38.76 percent annually.

Marriage & Divorce Statistics

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) published 2025 marriage and divorce statistics. Accordingly, the number of couples who married in 2025 was 552,237, while the number of couples who divorced was 193,793. The province with the highest crude marriage rate was Gaziantep at 7.76 per thousand, while the province with the highest crude divorce rate was İzmir at 3.28 per thousand.

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