MESOPOTAMIA NEWS OPINION : Turkish Opposition: Erdogan Will Certainly Leave Power

Sunday, 3 May, 2020 – 11:30 – ASHARQ AL AWSAT – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot keep ruling the country with his policies that have actively affected democracies, freedoms and economy, the opposition said.

Head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is the leader of the main opposition in Turkey, said Erdogan knows he will certainly leave office.

Recent polls have shown that Erdogan will not win another term as president.

“Every person remains in power for a certain period of time until he can no longer win votes, and this is the case with Erdogan,” Kilicdaroglu explained.

In a televised interview, he said the coronavirus outbreak in Turkey has allowed the people to realize that the situation will not return to the way it was before the virus.

He pointed out that Turkey is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, with the economy hit hard with increased poverty and unemployment.

He blamed the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has ruled the country for 18 years for Turkey’s “great economic” damage and unprecedented poverty and unemployment.

Moreover, he stressed that the government has failed to properly handle the coronavirus crisis.

It pumped in the markets Turkish liras equivalent to $56 billion and withdrew from the central bank’s reserves to make sure the lira doesn’t further collapse against the dollar.

Kilicdaroglu held Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Erdogan’s son-in-law, responsible for the deteriorating economy since taking office.

Albayrak has proven incapable of implementing any plans to revive the economy, said Kilicdaroglu, calling for his resignation.

“The Turkish state has become a family corporation. The president rules the country and his son-in-law controls its treasury,” he stressed.

Kilicdaroglu renewed his demand for the drafting of a new constitution that respects freedoms and the independence of the judiciary.

He also called for establishing a new electoral system that ensures that the people are properly and fairly represented at parliament.