'Regime' criticism from NEW Party member Sezgin Tanrıkulu to the government: 'Data in the last 10 years show a regression'

NEW Party Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu made evaluations about Turkey's political and economic outlook in the last 10 years.

Reminding that AKP has been in power since 2002, Tanrıkulu argued that the quality of the management system has changed, especially in the last 10 years.

Tanrıkulu said, "It has taken on a character that goes from parliamentary democracy to autocracy. And we have fallen far behind in all data."

DRAW ATTENTION TO INTERNATIONAL INDICES

In his evaluation, Tanrıkulu pointed to data from the World Justice Project, Reporters Without Borders, Transparency International and TÜİK.

Stating that these organizations evaluate countries under different headings such as law, fundamental rights, press freedom and corruption, Tanrıkulu claimed that Turkey has regressed in these indicators in recent years.

“INFLATION IS MUCH HIGHER THAN 2016”

Touching on economic indicators, Tanrıkulu said that according to TÜİK data, inflation, which was 8.81 percent in 2016, increased to 30.89 percent in 2026.

Pointing out that the data announced by ENAG is much higher, Tanrıkulu stated that inflation in 2026 is calculated to be around 50 percent.

CRITICISM OF RULE OF LAW AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

Tanrıkulu stated that Turkey ranked 80th among 143 countries in 2016 regarding the rule of law, and dropped to 118th place in 2026.

Arguing that there was a similar regression in the field of fundamental rights, Tanrıkulu said that Turkey, which was in the 96th place in 2016, fell to the 114th place in 2026.

Tanrıkulu claimed that Turkey was also regressing in the field of political rights and civil liberties.

“WE ARE IN A POOR POSITION IN PRESS FREEDOM”

Tanrikulu, who also brought up the data on press freedom, said that Turkey fell from 149th to 163rd among 180 countries.

Tanrikulu said, "We are in a terrible position regarding press freedom," and argued that this situation shows the decline in democratic standards.

HE POINTED TO THE CORRUPTION INDEX

Tanrikulu also touched upon Transparency International's corruption perception data and stated that Turkey, while it was ranked 66th in 2016, dropped to 124th place in 2026.

Stating that the indicators in question should be evaluated as a whole, Tanrıkulu argued that the weakening of the institutional structure has economic and democratic consequences.

“THERE ARE NO INSTITUTIONS IN AUTOCRACIES”

Tanrıkulu continued his criticism of the management system with the following words:

"In autocracies, there are no institutions. There is only one leader. There are forces subordinate to that leader. The judiciary is not independent. There are no balance and monitoring mechanisms."

Arguing that impoverishment and loss of freedom increase if independent institutions are weakened, Tanrıkulu said, "The regime turns into a one-man rule. The data in the last 10 years completely show this."