A targeted manipulation campaign was launched in Türkiye, spreading the false claim that Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek had resigned. The Disinformation Combating Center denied the rumor, and the relevant state institutions made statements addressing the issue.
Despite all these statements, the false narratives, initiated with "multiple purposes" in mind, continued to spread. They were amplified to a level that could influence the stock market and financial markets.
Eventually, Şimşek personally had to clarify, saying, "It seems the official statements were not enough, so let me write it here as well! I did not resign. The circulated scenarios are not true."
The planning, scripting, spreading and persistence of these falsehoods, as well as the escalation to a level that affected the market, is no ordinary matter.
These types of manipulations, crafted for "multiple purposes," have specific targets. To better understand the purposes and objectives behind them, it is necessary to look back a bit.
Regarding the government-opposition relationship, the opposition has developed a learned style of politics over time. The opposition in this context includes not only the opposition parties but also the structures supporting them.
This style of politics evolves over time. During the periods when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was very strong, this scenario-based politics often backfired on the opposition. It is hard to predict whether it will benefit the opposition in the current process. However, it is clear that this has become a tool that influences the overall course of politics.
This political style can be roughly categorized into four periods.
Firstly, the opposition long responded to the AK Party's continued electoral victories with "excuse politics." They centered their political narrative around statements like "the state and media were captured, and that’s how they won the elections," "they won the elections through oppressive policies," "they changed the system and election laws, and that’s how they won," or "the ignorant masses who scratch their bellies and have no clue voted for the AK Party." They managed with this excuse of politics for a while.
Secondly, instead of producing alternative policies to counter the government, the opposition took the easy way out. As the AK Party produced successful policies in development, projects and services, gaining voter support, the opposition resorted to "obfuscation politics."
In this phase, efforts were made to devalue and trivialize the government’s policies on major projects, infrastructure and defense investments, and security policies by making them subjects of controversy.
Thirdly, attempts were made to neutralize the AK Party's crisis management strategies. The opposition developed a politics of resistance against reforms, democratic improvements, political normalization and institutional transformations for an extended period. Opposition parties often produced rhetoric that supported deepening the crises rather than finding solutions.
The last tactic is the "voting trap." Although the opposition lost in the May elections, it emerged stronger from the March elections. The economy was the most significant issue influencing the outcome of the March elections.
On the one hand, the AK Party is trying to address economic issues, while on the other hand, it is focusing on its own renewal policies.
There are groups worried about the possibility of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerging even stronger, as he did in previous crises. Those harboring these concerns have recently intensified their scenario-based politics aimed at distracting the government and diverting its focus.
One aspect of the scenario involves attempts to disrupt the internal dynamics of the People’s Alliance and the AK Party. The other is undermining economic decisions and fostering pessimistic expectations for the future.
Such areas of struggle will always exist in government-opposition relations. Governments can respond to these challenges by producing politics.
If we understand the purpose of such moves, like the resignation rumor, which also harms the country’s future, it becomes easier to neutralize them. The government should anticipate the agenda traps and objectives that occupy its attention. It should also be aware that new ones are on the way.
