Although the May 2023 elections brought Tayyip Erdoğan back to power as President and restored the AKP-MHP alliance's control of the legislative majority, Erdoğan's new administrative cadre, comprising "ministers" and other bureaucrats, has yet to exhibit any clear signs of improvement in the management of public affairs. This holds true for the most pressing matter of resolving the economic crisis; the appointments of Mehmet Şimşek as the new Treasury Minister and H. Gaye Erkan as the Governor of the Central Bank do not appear to have brought about significant changes in this regard.Although Mehmet Şimşek promised to pursue "rational" economic and fiscal policies, it remains unclear to what extent - if any - Şimşek and his team will be able to act relatively independently of Erdoğan in the current state system where Erdoğan holds the sole authority as "President." Similarly, the relatively reassuring performance of the new Governor of the Central Bank in his first public statement on July 27th, during the presentation of the latest Inflation Report, should also be evaluated within the context of the same uncertainty. Specifically, there is a widespread perception that Erdoğan pursued a strategy aimed at creating temporary optimism that the economy was on the path to recovery just before the local elections. One might even suspect that if the economy fails to improve significantly in the meantime, Erdoğan intends to blame the Simsek-Erkan duo and use them as scapegoats.On the other hand, Turkey faces other critical issues besides the economy. Chief among them is the challenge of addressing and healing the deep suffering and wounds inflicted on hundreds of thousands of citizens due to the oppressive and persecutory policies of the AKP government, backed by the MHP. There is no doubt that there is an urgent need for Turkey to address these issues of "rights, law, and justice" promptly and to reform the legal and justice system in a way that prevents new injustices, both in its normative foundations and practice. However, certain developments make it difficult to be optimistic in this regard.Firstly, President Erdoğan's speech at the drawing of lots for new judges and prosecutors at the Presidential Palace on July 25 was, to say the least, "unfortunate" in terms of judicial independence and the other requirements of the rule of law. The fact that such a meeting took place in the Presidential Palace, representing the "executive" branch, raises doubts about the judiciary's independence. Moreover, the President's address to judges and prosecutors at this event was not a ceremonial or symbolic speech from an impartial president. In the current system of government in Turkey, the president is not impartial but is officially a party member. In this speech, the party member President made some "recommendations and suggestions" to the judges and prosecutors, which were essentially propaganda for his own political agenda. This development further undermines the expectations for the establishment of justice in our country.On the other hand, a new direction in the Constitutional Court's jurisprudence regarding violations of freedom of expression is rather disheartening for our society's expectations of freedom, justice, and human rights. In fact, the Court has developed a new approach that almost renders certain violations of freedom of expression unnoticed. For further insight into this matter, you can refer to the assessment provided by our friend A. Rıza Çoban, an expert in this field.Meanwhile, following the disappointing outcome in the May elections, criticism of the leadership of the CHP, which leads the opposition alliance, has intensified within the party. This criticism has been particularly reflected in media outlets close to the CHP, and a search for change seems to have reached a new stage with two significant developments. Firstly, as you will read in detail below, the CHP administration has terminated its relationship with Halk TV, which had been its biggest supporter in the media until now. More importantly, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, has indirectly hinted for the first time that he is a candidate for the CHP presidency. İmamoğlu recently had an article published on a media platform proposing a new organizational strategy and a definition of social democratic identity for the CHP.These two developments indicate that the CHP will be heading into the local elections in the spring of 2024 amidst the turbulence of a leadership contest. It appears that the political tenure of the current President Kılıçdaroğlu will come to an end by the latest next spring.See you, and we look forward to the next Freedom Observer.

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