DEVA Party Chair Ali Babacan assessed TÜİK’s September inflation data on Sözcü TV. Babacan said the year was expected to end with inflation of around 30%, and that inflation in Türkiye had not fallen to single digits since 2017. Stating that the government had announced 2029 as its target for single-digit inflation, Babacan argued that it was 2026 and that inflation had not declined because of wrong decisions and steps that had not been taken. Babacan said that, according to the Central Bank’s expectations survey, citizens’ inflation expectation for 12 months ahead was 45%, adding that high expectations did not bring inflation down and that the government had poorly managed inflation expectations.
Why it matters
Babacan’s assessment links the inflation debate not only to the announced data but also to the credibility of the targets and the economic management’s policies. The gap between the government’s single-digit target and citizens’ expectation of 45% for 12 months ahead shows that official targets and public expectations are not aligned. This divergence shows that merely announcing a timetable is not considered sufficient to reduce inflation; the policies implemented and the steps taken must also influence expectations. Thus, the central question left open by the news is which decisions will be taken in line with the 2029 target and how high inflation expectations will be managed.
Background
Babacan is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 4 news stories mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 2, 2026.
Term: inflation
Inflation is the continuous increase in the general level of prices and the decline in the purchasing power of money.