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Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is roiled by a succession struggle as senior figures position for the day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Camps clustered around Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, drone tycoon Selçuk Bayraktar, former economy czar Berat Albayrak and Erdoğan’s son Bilal are maneuvering for advantage, weaponizing leaks, police operations and media barrages in a contest where a single seat can trigger a bare‑knuckle brawl.
In a detailed analysis for HaberSol, journalist Ali Ufuk Arikan argues ideology is a smokescreen: “Claims that one faction is more ‘local and national’ while another is ‘fully pro‑American’ carry no weight. They all have their eyes on the gigantic pie—rents and patronage.” (The piece—AKP’deki iç kavgada hiç sorulmayan soru ve yanıtlar: Kim kiminle, kim neyi savunuyor?—was published Nov. 4, 2025 and updated Nov. 5, 2025).
Arikan’s reporting traces how recent purges and probes have doubled as intra‑party pressure points: a Foreign Ministry investigation into a clandestine FETÖ network with detention orders for 15 suspects; corporate raids touching Can Holding, Papara and Paramount; and a visible media offensive in which the Yeni Şafak/Albayrak camp trained fire on Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, the central bank and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Kalın, a former presidential spokesman now heading the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), was portrayed by Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth as “Erdoğan’s shadow.” His record includes leading the pro‑government SETA think tank; WikiLeaks claims he interacted with Stratfor. Rivals tie him to moves that discomfort Fidan, including the timing of ministry sweeps—allegations he has not addressed.
Fidan’s path runs from NCO to TIKA chief, then Erdoğan’s fixer and decade‑long MIT boss—earning the label “sır küpü,” or keeper of secrets. Now foreign minister, he faces a diploma row: critics allege he began a Bilkent master’s without equivalence—claims amplified by AKP‑linked leaks. Arikan reports a Can Holding operation blunted his bid for leverage, and Erdoğan’s family remains cool.
Drone maker Selçuk Bayraktar has surged in prominence, leveraging Turkey’s UAV brand and courting Western interest, including a visit to the USS Gerald R. Ford. Arikan reports he opposed further F‑16 purchases, urging priority for the indigenous KAAN fighter and deeper co‑production—especially engine access. His footprint—and criticism over a link to an Italian firm selling arms to Israel—fuel perceptions that business interests steer policy.
Within the family orbit, Bilal Erdoğan has unexpectedly re‑entered the frame. Journalist Serdar Akinan claims the family prefers Bilal for a future leadership role, and posted alleged images of firearms in a TÜGVA vehicle alongside WhatsApp excerpts tied to the foundation he leads—opening a new media front. Meanwhile, Albayrak retains a potent network around Sabah and Yeni Şafak, with loyalists reportedly winning key appointments even as Süleyman Soylu’s clout fades.
Beyond personalities, the fight is over power and spoils, not policy. As Arikan concludes, eruptions over courts, companies, aircraft and foundations are not attacks from outside the AKP but products of an internal war. For now, Erdoğan’s authority contains shockwaves. What follows when that gravity weakens is the question animating moves.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons