A pro-Kurdish demonstration in central London, complete with flags of Abdullah Öcalan, the YPG, the federated Iraqi region of Kurdistan – but not, as was so often the case in previous years, the PKK.

In a pretty stunning move, President Erdoğan has tonight appointed Istanbul’s chief prosecutor Akın Gürlek – the man who led many of the judicial cases against the opposition’s jailed presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu – as his new justice minister.

Sırrı Süreyya Önder died this afternoon of multiple organ failure, after spending nearly three weeks critically ill in hospital following emergency heart surgery. A huge loss for parliament, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party – and the peace process.

You don't really need subtitles to see how well presenter Meltem Bozbeyoğlu handles the moment a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Istanbul struck live on CNN Türk, but here they are in any case.

Today’s the Turkish parliament’s 105th anniversary. Some, like independence war veteran Rauf Orbay below, believe this – and not 29 October 1923 – is Turkey’s true birthday. It was since then, he argues, that the country operated as a republic. Either way, happy birthday 🇹🇷

Getting underway right now!

Sırrı Süreyya Önder, one of the most recognised pro-Kurdish politicians in Turkey and member of the delegation holding talks with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, has been rushed to hospital tonight with a suspected tear to a heart valve. His party says his condition is serious.

Parliamentary arithmetic still matters. A reminder that Turkey's governing party does not have a majority, and its de facto coalition does not wield a three-fifths majority in the Grand National Assembly. You need the latter to change the constitution or call an early election.

Now that Ekrem İmamoğlu has been formally charged and he has been stripped – temporarily, we are told – of his Istanbul mayoralty, what happens next? A thread 🧵

Turkey's opposition CHP has called an extraordinary party congress. What happens now – and is Özgür Özel's leadership under threat? A thread 🧵

This morning's police raids targeted 106 suspects but the focus, of course, is on the man who is Turkey's most recognisable politician after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Where now for Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan and Turkey? A thread after a tumultuous 24 hours.

“The terrorism charge is particularly serious because it could allow him to be removed from office. It means that by the end of the day Ekrem İmamoğlu may no longer be mayor of Istanbul.” Me on the BBC World Service a little earlier.

A lengthy post from Ankara's mayor Mansur Yavaş, another possible candidate against Erdoğan, who comes out for İmamoğlu. Notably, Yavaş himself declares he won't stand for president "while this unlawfulness persists".

A big moment in the build-up to the next presidential race: perhaps the most recognisable opposition politician in Turkey can no longer run for office.

Abdullah Öcalan has called to abolish the PKK, but that’s just the first step in making it happen – me in @thenationalnews.com on today’s momentous news www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/2025...

History in the making in Turkey, where a message from PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan – apparently calling for peace and an end to an armed conflict lasting nearly half a century – is being read out live. But it’s in Kurdish first, so most of the country doesn’t know what’s in it yet.

Spare a thought today for Ahmet Sever: journalist, political adviser and author of one of the few actually readable Turkish political memoirs of recent years. His 2015 account of years working for Abdullah Gül are an excellent insight into Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's capture of the AK Party.

Launching soon: Turkey’s 165th active political party Yeni Yol – the New Path Party – will be a significant one, at least in parliament, because it involves the merger of three existing parties which are crowded into the same ideological space. For now, Deva, Gelecek and Saadet ride together.

New from @reuters.com: Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party delegation to visit jailed PKK militant leader Ocalan for a second time, party sources say

“For this process to succeed, all political circles in Turkey must…operate constructively and avoid narrow, periodic calculations. One of the most important places for these contributions will doubtless be parliament.” A key passage in Abdullah Öcalan’s reply to Devlet Bahçeli.

Parliamentary arithmetic still matters. A reminder that Turkey's governing party does not have a majority, and its de facto coalition does not wield a three-fifths majority in the Grand National Assembly. You need the latter to change the constitution or call an early election.

The man who runs elections in Turkey was in the US this week to observe electronic voting booths – and was apparently left impressed by the process. Turkey currently votes with using stamps and ballot papers that are up to one metre wide. @nevsinmengu.bsky.social

There certainly won't be any public show of grief in Turkey today over Fethullah Gülen, whose death was announced overnight. The 83-year-old's name is toxic, and not just because the government blames him for the 2016 coup attempt. That notoriety makes him a pivotal figure. 🧵

As polls close in the east of Turkey, this is your regular election reminder that a strong showing at an individual ballot box does not necessarily indicate a strong national performance.

It's 27 years since 28 February 1997, the date of a notorious meeting of politicians and soldiers in Turkey that had such dramatic effects that they're still felt today. If you've got 10 minutes, this video will help explain why. www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9MS...

Spot the difference On the left: Turkish authorities permit new political party name with a remarkable resemblance to a banned movement. On the right: Turkish authorities reject new political party name with a remarkable resemblance to a banned movement.

The increasingly nationalist İYİ Party says it won't to cooperate with the opposition CHP in next year's local elections. It leaves Meral Akşener's party standing against popular candidates she's previously endorsed, like Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş.

Turkey’s far-right leader says the country’s president should still be elected by absolute majority. It’s a blow to President Erdoğan, who’s mused about a lower threshold (maybe resetting term limits too). Devlet Bahçeli remains the hardest leader to read in Turkish politics.

It’s official. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has become the first major Turkish political party leader this century to be defeated in a leadership contest. Is this a seminal moment in Turkish politics, or merely the final whimper of the movement defeated by President Erdoğan in May?