Second Week of April 2026 – Erdoğan Moves to Neutralize CHP Under Cover of Regional Tensions

Weekly Turkey Report: Second Week of April 2026 – Erdoğan Moves to Neutralize CHP Under Cover of Regional Tensions

 Executive Summary

• Arrests and detentions are spreading from CHP mayors and municipalities to provincial party chairs and local organizations. Observers warn that a closure case against the CHP or the appointment of government-appointed trustees (kayyım) to CHP-run municipalities may be forthcoming. 
• MHP Deputy Chairman and Samsun MP Prof. Dr. İlyas Topsakal announced that he has held meetings in Moscow in line with party leader Devlet Bahçeli’s proposal for Turkey to form an alliance with Russia and China (TRC) against what Bahçeli calls the “US-Israel axis of evil.”
• An armed attack was carried out against the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül stated that one attacker was killed and two were wounded and taken into custody. 
• Court records in the money laundering case against alleged crime boss Ayhan Bora Kaplan now include a document showing that a vehicle payment was made on behalf of former Ankara Chief Prosecutor and Court of Cassation (Yargıtay) member Yüksel Kocaman.
• The transfer of landmark venues from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) to central government control continued at an accelerated pace. 
• According to data from the Ministry of Justice, 16,773,992 individuals appeared as “suspects” in criminal investigation files last year. That figure — approaching 17 million — represents approximately 20% of Turkey’s population of 86 million.
• Having effectively sidelined Kurdish political opposition through Abdullah Öcalan, Erdoğan is continuing his campaign to suppress the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The effort is being conducted under the cover of a verbal spat with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu over the Iran war, and drug-related operations targeting celebrities — both of which are keeping the public agenda occupied. 
• Arrests and detentions are spreading from CHP mayors and municipalities to provincial party chairs and local organizations. Observers warn that a closure case against the CHP or the appointment of government-appointed trustees (kayyım) to CHP-run municipalities may be forthcoming.
• Erdoğan is also effectively suspending the Constitution: he is not only defying rulings by the Constitutional Court but is also signaling that he will refuse to hold early by-elections even when 30 parliamentary seats become vacant — a step explicitly required by the Constitution. His tool for doing so: blocking the resignation of deputies by refusing to bring those resignations to a parliamentary vote.

Erdoğan: There will be no elections

One of the week’s most significant debates concerned early elections and the MHP’s push for Turkey to realign toward Russia and China:

Erdoğan delivered a sharp rebuke to CHP leader Özel’s call for early elections: “Turkey is moving steadily toward its goals without being drawn into artificial agendas by the futile efforts of the main opposition. Let it be known that neither our government nor our nation has early or snap elections on its near-term political radar. Our government controls its own agenda — no one can dictate an agenda to us. No matter the pretext, no one can derail Turkey’s agenda with manufactured controversies.”

CHP leader Özgür Özel fired back: “You said you would mind your own business. Holding by-elections is the Parliament’s business. Saying ‘elections are not on our agenda’ is executive interference in the legislature — in plain terms, it is political overreach, an abuse of authority, and a violation of the Constitution. Who do you think you are?”

MHP Sets Russia-China Alliance as Condition for Electoral Cooperation

MHP Deputy Chairman and Samsun MP Prof. Dr. İlyas Topsakal announced that he has held meetings in Moscow in line with party leader Devlet Bahçeli’s proposal for Turkey to form an alliance with Russia and China (TRC) against what Bahçeli calls the “US-Israel axis of evil.” Topsakal stated that the MHP’s condition for renewing its electoral alliance with the AKP is “not ministerial posts, but the acceptance of a program oriented toward cooperation with Russia and China.”

New Wave of Operations Against CHP Municipalities

Bornova (İzmir) Municipality — Mayor Ömer Ekşi and three others were detained on suspicion of “aggravated fraud” and “forgery of official documents” in an investigation triggered by allegations of ghost employees on the municipal payroll (“ATM civil servants”). Ekşi and the three detainees were subsequently released after being referred to the duty criminal court of peace.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality — A new operation was launched in the ongoing judicial investigation into housing cooperatives linked to the municipality. CHP Ankara Provincial Chair Ümit Erkol was among those detained; he was reportedly transferred to İzmir following his arrest. Erkol and eight others were referred to court with a request for pre-trial detention. Erkol was remanded in custody.

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality — Following the arrest and removal from office of CHP Mayor Mustafa Bozbey, a deputy mayor election was held in which the CHP did not field a candidate. The AKP’s candidate, Şahin Biba, won the deputy mayorship.

Üsküdar Municipality (Istanbul) — In an investigation into alleged irregularities in construction and occupancy permit procedures, 21 individuals were detained, including Deputy Mayor Filiz Deveci and Kent A.Ş. General Manager Nazım Akkoyunlu. Nine of the 21 were remanded in custody.

Comedian Detained for Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Joke

Stand-up comedian Tuba Ulu was taken into custody on charges of “insulting historical, national and moral values” over remarks she made about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent during a performance. The joke in question related to Suleiman’s marriage to Hürrem Sultan. 

Istanbul’s Historic Venues Seized from Metropolitan Municipality 

The transfer of landmark venues from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) to central government control continued at an accelerated pace. Following controversial legislation passed by the Grand National Assembly in November 2025, Yerebatan Sarnıcı (the Basilica Cistern) — one of Istanbul’s most iconic sites — was officially transferred from the IBB and registered in the name of the Directorate General of Foundations (Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü).

Between 2019 and 2022, Galata Tower, Taksim Gezi Park, and Kız Kulesi (Maiden’s Tower) were similarly transferred to central government control under the contested “mazbut vakıf” (administered foundation) doctrine. The November 2025 legislation put more than 100 cultural heritage sites — restored by the IBB over years at considerable expense — in the crosshairs. Notable venues at risk include:

Müze Gazhane

ArtİStanbul Feshane

Casa Botter

Moda İskelesi (Moda Pier)

Beşiktaş and Kadıköy Pier Libraries

ISIS Attack on Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

An armed attack was carried out against the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül stated that one attacker was killed and two were wounded and taken into custody. Interior Minister Çiftçi confirmed the identities of the attackers, saying: “It has been established that one of the individuals arrived from İzmit in a rental vehicle and had links to an organization that exploits religion; one of the two attackers — who are brothers — also had a drug-related criminal record.”

However, records indicate that the attackers had previously been under state protection. Details regarding ISIS-linked attacker Yunus Emre Sarban:

In 2018, he was implicated in a domestic homicide together with his father. He was released three months later.

In 2021, his assets were frozen due to ISIS membership. In 2024, the freeze was lifted on the grounds that “reasonable grounds no longer exist.”

DEM Party Desperately Seeking an Exit

HDP/DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan called for a common platform between the ruling party and the opposition, citing Turkey’s deepening crises across multiple fronts — from peace and the economy to rule of law and social cohesion. Bakırhan foregrounded an appeal to “come together for the normalization of Turkey’s political climate,” describing a period in which political polarization is intensifying, the judiciary is being drawn into the political arena, and the economic situation is pushing ever-wider segments of the population into poverty.

Senior Judiciary Member Linked to Crime Syndicate

Court records in the money laundering case against alleged crime boss Ayhan Bora Kaplan now include a document showing that a vehicle payment was made on behalf of former Ankara Chief Prosecutor and Court of Cassation (Yargıtay) member Yüksel Kocaman. According to the record obtained by T24, the payment for a vehicle registered to Kocaman was made from the account of Kaplan’s assistant, identified as Sevda S.

Former Deputy Police Chief Murat Çelik, testifying in the Kaplan case, made explosive allegations:

“There are masterminds behind this — Alparslan (a former deputy police chief) is among them, responsible for the organized crime side.”

“They can also manage journalists. I name names: Abdurrahman Şimşek, Nedim Şener…”

“The syndicate has its own prosecutor. The prosecutor we were working with turned out to have links to the organization. They bought a car for the chief prosecutor. How are we supposed to fight an organization like this?”

20% of Turkey’s Population Listed as Criminal Suspects

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, 16,773,992 individuals appeared as “suspects” in criminal investigation files last year. That figure — approaching 17 million — represents approximately 20% of Turkey’s population of 86 million.

CHP Raises Sabotage Allegations Over Libya Plane Crash

CHP Deputy Chair Deniz Yavuzyılmaz put forward a striking sabotage claim in connection with the crash of a Libyan aircraft in Ankara in December 2025. Yavuzyılmaz shared documents purportedly showing that the Libyan aircraft had been kept on the same apron at Esenboğa Airport as an Israeli-flagged private jet for an extended period prior to the crash, and called on the government to “tell the truth.”

Fitch Revises Turkey Outlook from Positive to Stable

International credit rating agency Fitch Ratings affirmed Turkey’s Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating at BB–, while revising the outlook from Positive to Stable. Fitch noted that the Central Bank sold more than $50 billion in foreign exchange reserves to support the Turkish lira. The agency also warned that a prolonged conflict could further deteriorate Turkey’s external debt servicing capacity and inflation outlook.

Erdoğan’s relative Appointed Chairman of Turkish Airlines

Murat Şeker was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkish Airlines (THY). It subsequently emerged that Şeker is the son-in-law of Vesile İlgen, the sister of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Join our channel today

Get all of Atlas Think Center’s original analysis on your phone — no algorithms, no filters!