Justice and Development Party (AKP)

It wasn’t cash this time, but rather half a kilo of weed that has been found inside a shoebox originally sent to the son of a lawmaker from the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Islamic lender Bank Asya, which has recently found itself at the center of tension between the government and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, suffered a sharp downfall in its second quarter profit amid uncertainty over its future.

Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) has decided on taking a U-turn from the “appointment system” implemented for the first time in foreign countries at the country’s debut popular presidential polls following a low turnout and reactions by the government.

It is not a surprise that Tayyip Erdoğan won the elections. I congratulate him and wish that his presidential term will be one in which polarization and political tension in Turkey will decrease and accommodating and rational stances are advanced.

Outgoing President Abdullah Gül gave a strong signal for his return to active politics in the ranks of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Aug. 11, though on the same day the AKP decided to hold an extraordinary convention to elect the new chairman on Aug. 27, in an apparent move to stop Gül immediately joining the party as leader.

Outgoing President Abdullah Gül gave a strong signal for his return to active politics in the ranks of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Aug. 11, though on the same day the AKP decided to hold an extraordinary convention to elect the new chairman on Aug. 27, in an apparent move to stop Gül immediately joining the party as leader.

The fact that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won an outright victory with almost 52 percent in the first round of the presidential election, according to unofficial results, may be a game changer in near-future scenarios for the post-Erdoğan era.

With Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s election as president, politics in Ankara is now focused on the next prime minister and chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), who is expected to be announced by Erdoğan in the coming days.

Turkey is going to the polls on Aug. 10 to choose the country’s 12th president, voting for the first time by popular vote.

A candidate needs an absolute majority to win outright on Aug. 10. If none succeeds, a runoff will be held two weeks later on Aug. 24 – with victory going to the candidate with the most votes. The presidency has a five-year term.

The 2014 presidential elections in Turkey mark the first time in the country’s history that the president will be elected directly by the people. On Aug. 10, the first round of elections will be carried out. If any candidate receives the majority of votes, he will become Turkey’s first directly elected president.