In his speech that day, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic, said: “Our nation will be able to demonstrate to the civilised world much more easily the qualities and values it possesses through the new form of government. The Republic of Türkiye will prove its worth among the nations of the world through its achievements.”
In the years that followed, a series of reforms were carried out, and the country gained many achievements, particularly in terms of secular values. Yet, under the AKP, these gains have been lost one by one.
Two years ago, when the Republic turned 100, the AKP launched its “Century of Türkiye” initiative. On that day, AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared: “Our Republic has completed its first century and is now setting sail into its second, which we call the ‘Century of Türkiye’. We are determined to carry our Republic forward for many more years, much stronger, more prosperous, and more respected.”
However, these words remained merely rhetoric. As since 3 November 2002, Türkiye has continued to regress in every sphere. The country has witnessed femicides, worker massacres, obscurantism in education, and the rise of gangs in healthcare. As unemployment grew, poverty deepened. Ekrem İmamoğlu, who ran against Erdoğan in the presidential election, was imprisoned. In recent months, the country has woken up almost daily to new police operations. Judicial corruption has reached its peak, and justice has hit rock bottom. The media has faced unprecedented repression.
Some of the incidents and data from the past two years are as follows:
Education: The Ministry of National Education has been run by Yusuf Tekin for the past two years. During this period, hundreds of thousands of children who should be in school dropped out. Through MESEM, children were turned into workers. Hundreds of children were injured, and 10 lost their lives in these centres. The curriculum was changed, placing education entirely under religious influence. The ÇEDES project was accelerated, imams entered schools, and students were taken to mosques. Unsafe and unhygienic schools were created, and school enrolment became a black market.
Health: The already-criticised healthcare system completely collapsed during this period. In some cases, it became impossible to get an appointment. Hospital queues, which the AKP claimed to have eliminated, returned as part of daily life. The system increasingly directed patients towards private hospitals, where fees skyrocketed. The most striking scandal was the “newborn gang” case. Exploiting gaps in the system, a criminal network defrauded the Social Security Institution (SGK) and allegedly caused the deaths of at least ten infants.
Femicides: Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya recently claimed that femicides had decreased. Yet, including October 2023, 723 women were murdered during this period, and at least 584 women died under suspicious circumstances. The killings even extended to girls under 18.
Workplace murders: One of the defining characteristics of the AKP era will undoubtedly be workplace deaths. According to İSİG data, between October 2023 and September 2025, 3,903 workers lost their lives. Among them were 79 children and 97 people over 65. The most notable incidents included the İliç disaster on 13 February 2024 and the Balıkesir Karesi explosion, which killed 12 people.
Unemployment rose: According to TÜİK, the broadly defined unemployment rate, or underutilised labour force, was 21.3% in October 2023, with 31.8 million people employed. The latest figures show that real unemployment rose to 28.6%, while employment increased only slightly to 32.5 million. Real unemployment exceeded 11 million. The hunger threshold rose from 13,684 TL in October 2023 to 27,970 TL in September 2025, while the poverty line increased from 44,573 TL to 91,109 TL.
Debt surged: According to UYAP data, the number of enforcement files rose from 21.7 million on 29 October 2023 to over 24.7 million, an increase of more than 3 million. Personal loan debt grew from 1.46 trillion TL to 2.62 trillion TL, and credit card debt jumped from 991.8 billion TL to 2.47 trillion TL. Non-performing loans rose nearly fivefold, from 41.4 billion TL to 214 billion TL.
Judicial coup: After losing many municipalities, including major cities, in the 31 March 2024 local elections, the government responded with increased repression. Many mayors, including İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, were arrested. Trustees were appointed to several municipalities, while others were seized through municipal councils. In some cases, mayors were allegedly coerced into switching to the AKP through blackmail and threats. The judiciary was used to reshape politics. As a result, Türkiye ranked 118th out of 143 countries in the rule of law index, and 134th in the category of fundamental rights.
Unsafe streets: One of the most striking developments of this period has been the complete breakdown of public safety. New gangs like “Daltonlar” and “Casperlar” have emerged, targeting youth left without a future. Prosecutors, police officers, children, and the elderly alike have fallen prey to these groups. The age of drug use dropped below 15, and “child hitmen” appeared. Türkiye has become a hub for international drug trafficking.
Dirty money: The money laundering investigations that began with the arrests of Dilan Polat and Engin Polat became one of the major issues of this period. TV owners, business figures close to the government, hotel and tourism tycoons were detained and arrested. However, the investigations never expanded to examine their political connections or the real sources of the money. The Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) became emblematic of this era’s corruption, taking control of nearly 250 companies before itself being placed under trusteeship.
Disasters: During the summer of 2025, forest fires broke out across the country. A total of 6,800 fires, 2,800 in forests and 4,000 in rural areas, burned 80,000 hectares of land and claimed more than ten lives. Authorities failed both in prevention and firefighting efforts. One of the worst tragedies was the Bolu Kartalkaya hotel fire, which killed 78 people. Responsibility was limited to the hotel owner and municipality, while the Ministry of Culture and Tourism tried to shift blame.
Football scandal: The latest scandal erupted in football. Around one in five active referees were found to be involved in betting, including several from the Süper Lig. Dozens were referred to the PFDK disciplinary committee. Whether the issue will be thoroughly investigated remains uncertain.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled AKP’nin “Türkiye Yüzyılı”nda iki yıl: Ülke daha da karanlığa saplandı, published in BirGün newspaper on October 29, 2025.
