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Burcin Gercek

A man pushes a bicycle past the new Syriac Orthodox Mor Ephrem Church on the eve of its official inauguration in Istanbul on October 7, 2023. (YASIN AKGUL / AFP)
November 24, 2025, 10:11 am
As pope heads to Turkey, Christian community still battling inequality, exclusion
Christians struggle to achieve representation under Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted government, with many civil service positions closed to them despite no legal ban on non-Muslims
By Burcin Gercek
An election representative holds a ballot with presidential candidates at a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey, May 28, 2023 (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
May 28, 2023, 9:27 am
Polls open in Turkey as Erdogan seeks third decade of rule in presidential runoff
Incumbent is favorite to win despite freefalling economy, defying critics; opponent Kilicdaroglu turns rightwards in attempt to salvage votes
By Fulya Ozerkan and Burcin Gercek
Supporters of Turkish president and AK Party (AKP) react after early exit polls of Turkey's general elections at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, on May 14, 2023. (Adem ALTAN/AFP)
May 15, 2023, 8:41 am
Turkey set for historic run-off vote after Erdogan falls just short of majority
Incumbent president wins 49.3% in first poll, vows to lead country for for another five years, while rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu trails at 45%, below survey predictions
By Fulya Ozerkan, Burcin Gercek and Remi Banet
A giant election billboard of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the People's Alliance's presidential candidate, during a campaign rally in Istanbul, Turkey, May 13, 2023. (Emrah Gurel/AP)
May 14, 2023, 9:49 am
Polls open in Turkey for knife-edge presidential vote that could unseat Erdogan
Country’s longest-serving leader and his Islamic-rooted party face their most serious challenge ever from secular 6-party alliance led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu; high turnout expected
By Remi Banet, Fulya Ozerkan and Burcin Gercek
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his campaign rally in the Sultangazi district of Istanbul, on May 12, 2023. (Ozan Kose/AFP)
May 12, 2023, 4:58 pm
Erdogan rallies his base ahead of Sunday’s toughest election in his 20-year reign
Turkish president trailing in polls behind secular challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who aims to stabilize faltering economy and restore civil liberties
By Fulya Ozerkan and Burcin Gercek
Rescuers search for victims and survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings in Gaziantep, close to the quake's epicenter, a day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast, on February 7, 2023. (Zein Al Rifai/AFP)
February 8, 2023, 8:15 am
‘Waiting for our dead’: Turkey’s slow quake response leaves victims out in the cold
Relatives of people trapped under the rubble dig for their loved ones, with help from local police, as they wait for rescue team to arrive at collapsed building in Gaziantep
By Burcin Gercek
The Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul, on March 8, 2022 (Yasin Akgul/AFP)
March 20, 2022, 6:14 am
Hit Netflix series helps heal wounds of Turkish Jews
Telling the story of Turkey’s Jewish community, ‘The Club’ forces viewers to confront historical persecution of minorities: ‘We don’t teach this part of history in schools’
By Burcin Gercek
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, March 10, 2021 (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)
March 13, 2021, 10:22 am
Turkey renews diplomatic contacts with Egypt, says wants ties with other nations
As Ankara says it’s ready to break its isolation in face of potential EU sanctions and tough line from US, Erdogan reaches out to rivals
By Burcin Gercek
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, takes part in Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia, at the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, July 24, 2020. (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)
July 26, 2020, 10:58 pm
As Erdogan joins Hagia Sophia Muslim prayers, ‘2nd conquest of Istanbul’ hailed
Now reconverted into a mosque, site was built as a cathedral during Christian Byzantine Empire, became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, was turned into a museum in 1934
By Burcin Gercek and Gokan Gunes
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