Turkish Treasury interest burden exceeds principal, claims CHP Deputy

CHP Mersin Deputy Gülcan Kış has raised concerns regarding the rapidly growing debt stock and interest burden of the Turkish Treasury. According to Kış, the Treasury's total internal and external debt stock increased by 1.801 trillion lira in the first seven months of 2026, reaching a total of 15.463 trillion lira. She noted that the total interest burden to be paid on these debts until maturity has reached 11.830 trillion lira.

Kış specifically highlighted a critical imbalance in domestic debt, stating that for every 100 lira of internal debt, the Treasury will pay 103 lira in interest. She reported that the internal debt stock rose by 1.091 trillion lira in the first seven months to reach 9.244 trillion lira, while the interest burden for this internal debt stands at 9.499 trillion lira, meaning the interest load has surpassed the principal.

Regarding new borrowing, Kış stated that between January and July, the Treasury took on a total of 3.706 trillion lira in new debt, consisting of 3.151 trillion lira in domestic debt and 555 billion lira in external debt. During the same period, total payments, including principal and interest, amounted to 4.354 trillion lira.