Economic and political groundswell in Turkey

Murat Yetkin writes: The worker rally with the broadest turnout that Turkey witnessed in the last couple of years took place on January 19 in Bursa, the hub of the Turkish automotive sector. Of course, it is not possible to assume that a single rally indicates a certain groundswell that could also affect politics but other omens have emerged for those who don’t turn a blind eye.

Duvar English

Prominent journalist Murat Yetkin has penned a piece on the current political atmosphere in Turkey, analyzing a poll carried out by Kadir Has University.

"Thus the numbers show that [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan depends heavily on [Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet] Bahçeli to preserve his Presidency. And this means that Erdoğan may need to lend an ear to Bahçeli on matters of foreign policy and counter-terrorism more than usual," Yetkin said.

"And we may expect that, in return, Bahçeli will do his best to keep his party members from speaking out against the toll of the high cost of living and unemployment on the population," he added.

You can read Yetkin's piece here.