Key Opposition Ruled Out of General Elections; Unions Call to Suspend UK FTA

LOCAL NEWS

• Election authorities deem Ali Babacan's DEVA & Ahmet Devatoglu's Future Party ineligible for Turkey's upcoming general election, citing a lack of fulfilment of eligibility requirements.
  • Turkish law requires parties to have branches established in half of the 81 Turkish provinces and organised their congress at least 6 months before elections.
  • They can participate in the next 2023 elections if the criteria are met by then
• Turkey MinFin dismisses two out of three of Albayrak's former deputies over the weekend - Osman Dincbas & Bulent Aksu, and appoints Former Foreign Min Sinirlioglu as his key advisor & envoy to the UN
• UK & Turkish unions call for suspension of the UK-Turkey free trade agreement over concerns of poor treatment of Turkey's public employees & trade unionists.
  • This makes ~75% of Turkey's exports to the UK subject to tariffs, triggering losses of $2.4bn on agri & industrial goods included in the FTA
• Presidential Spox says exploratory talks are an 'important step' in improving bilateral relations & the balance of power in the East Med. Says Turkey & EU are trying to stabilise the region and hopes for better relations with the US.
  • Says "we have started making contacts with our US counterparts" and that opportunities for cooperation would emerge