Turkey still intends elections in May despite earthquake, says Erdogan
- ‘Nation will do what is necessary on May 14, God willing’, said the president; around 50,000 people died in February quake, most of them in Turkey
- Erdogan, who has faced criticism over handling of tragedy, did not say how elections would be organised in quake zone or if displaced survivors would be able to vote
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that his government still intends to hold elections in May despite an earthquake last month that devastated parts of southern Turkey.
“This nation will do what is necessary on May 14, God willing,” Erdogan said in a speech to lawmakers, in an apparent reference to elections seen as representing his biggest ever political challenge.
In an address to legislators of his ruling party, Erdogan chided critics of the government’s handling of the earthquake’s aftermath and said the people would give their response on May 14, the election date his ruling party had tentatively set before the deadly tremor hit.
Around 204,000 buildings either collapsed or were severely damaged there, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
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Officials say 14 million people were affected by the quake and millions have either left or been evacuated from the region.
Erdogan did not provide information on how elections could be organised in the quake zone or say whether displaced survivors would be able to cast ballots in their new locations.
The Turkish leader, who has been in power since 2003, is seeking a third term in office as president.
The presidential and general elections, which need to be held no later than June 18, come at a tough time for Erdogan who has seen a decline in his ratings because of skyrocketing inflation.
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Erdogan has conceded shortcomings in the initial stages of the quake response but has blamed them on adverse weather as well as the destruction the earthquake caused to roads and infrastructure.
On Wednesday he reiterated a promise to rebuild more than 400,000 homes within the year.
“We will remove the debris, we will heal the wounds. We will improve on what was destroyed and present a better life for our people,” he said.
Erdogan also said a so-called National Risk Shield meeting would convene on Friday to review the country’s building stock that does not comply with construction codes.
Experts point to lax enforcement of building codes as a major reason why the quake caused so much destruction.
The World Bank has estimated that the earthquake has caused an estimated US$34.2 billion in direct physical damage, the equivalent of 4 per cent of the country’s 2021 gross domestic product.
The bank said recovery and reconstruction costs would be much larger, potentially twice as large.
Erdogan has faced a wave of criticism over his government’s handling of the deadliest quake in the nation’s modern history. But he defended Ankara’s response on Wednesday, saying it had been caught up in “a storm of earthquakes”.
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Erdogan had previously said he was bringing the vote forward to May to avoid holidays in June.
He rose to power 20 years ago as Turkey grappled with a severe economic crisis in 2001 and chronic corruption that crippled institutions. The coalition of that time faced accusations of mishandling a devastating 1999 earthquake.
Now Erdogan must also contend with criticism over the response to a quake, in a region that traditionally backed him. He took 55 per cent of the vote in the 10 quake hit-provinces in a 2018 presidential election and his party and its partners won the same level of support in a parliamentary election.
Some Turks in one of the areas worst hit by last month’s quake voiced disappointment on Wednesday at the state’s response, which they said had a negative impact on people’s views of the government.
“Everyone here votes for the AKP [Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party] instinctively. But help arrived here very late. People are having second thoughts,” said a market owner in the town of Narli, 20km (12 miles) from the first quake’s epicentre.
“I don’t believe the opposition is up to the task either. But we need fundamental change,” said 70-year-old farmer Mehmet from the village of Igdeli.
Additional reporting by Reuters
