Last week’s main topics in Türkiye were the earthquake disaster, protests against the government in football stadiums and the debate on the elections.
The effects of the major disaster
The earthquake, centered in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay and claimed the lives of more than 45,000 people according to official figures, is the primary topic in Türkiye.
Scientists say Türkiye is suffering from an earthquake storm while moderate and small earthquakes are still hitting Hatay and neighboring provinces.
There are reports of people departing from Istanbul due to the risk of a possible earthquake.
The government has announced a new reconstruction plan for collapsed buildings in the earthquake zone. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asked the public for one year to complete this project.
On the other hand, earthquake experts have stated that it is not right to open the earthquake zone for construction while the faults are still active.
Domestic and international aid campaigns for the earthquake victims are ongoing through various TV channels. There are different types of reports from the earthquake region.
While opposition media claim that there are still regions where sufficient aid has not yet been delivered, media channels close to the government say that the aid system is functioning well – except for minor hitches.
Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar visited the region and stated that the opposition’s accusations that the Turkish Armed Forces were not mobilized in time to help the earthquake are unfounded:
“We are here with our citizens day and night. We continued and continue our work together with our citizens. Since February 6, the day of the earthquake, we have come a long way. To solve the problem and bind up the wounds, our President being in the first place, all our ministries, personnel, governors, district governors, municipalities continued and continue the struggle shoulder to shoulder with our citizens as of one heart (…) We stand by our citizens, we stand by our nation. From the very first moment, the Turkish Armed Forces has been working day and night with great sacrifice and determination to bind up the wounds.”
Another politician who visited the region was Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Nationalist Movement Party, the second biggest party in the governing alliance. A discussion of short time took place between Bahçeli and some earthquake victims who protested him.
President Erdoğan also visited the region hit by the earthquake. Erdoğan made the following statements about urban transformation and reconstruction projects:
“With a project that cannot be prevented by personal ambitions, we will swiftly handle this business. Regarding urban transformation we no longer have time to waste on anyone’s whims and ideological bigotry (…) We have records of what everyone, especially the main opposition and the minor opposition, have said. We will present them to our nation. We will show them again and again. No one has the right to make this nation pay this price.”
There were also media reports that Erdoğan distributed material aid to earthquake victims in the regions.
Protest against the government at soccer matches
The ongoing dispute over whether the earthquake aid was timely and sufficient has spread to the stadiums.
At the home matches of two leading clubs in Türkiye, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, slogans calling for the resignation of the government were raised from the stands.
The Union of Clubs convened on the issue and condemned the instrumentalization of football for political purposes.
It was reported that some of the fans who shouted the slogan received notices and could face ban on entry to stands and fines.
MHP leader Bahçeli announced his resignation from membership of Beşiktaş and demanded that football matches be played without spectators if needed.
Date of the election announced
President Erdoğan announced the election date to be 14 May. Erdoğan spoke about both the earthquake and the election at his party’s group meeting:
“Pointing out our shortcomings and asking for forgiveness is not an expression of our weakness, but of our sincerity and the affection between us and our nation. We have the obligation to do what is needed to bring to account in terms of judiciary, administration and politics.
The junior opposition says we are directing the judiciary. Shame on them. My Lord knows how Erdoğan behaves in this regard in Türkiye, you can’t understand. Fix yourself first.
The time is coming. This nation will do what is necessary on May 14, Inshallah. It won’t give credit to those who empty talk. They are going to the earthquake region just to talk and pose for photos. Since the very first moment of the earthquake, we have not deigned to respond to any of these incompetent and greedy ones. One man’s loss is another man’s gain: we are worried about life of our people but they are not. We are just taking notes for now but we will explain all these when the time comes. We leave those who cannot worry about the nation’s problems from their fight for candidacy alone with their own superficial worlds.”
The Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) continues to investigate whether a fair, transparent and technically sound election can be held in earthquake regions. Some claim that YSK has the authority to postpone the elections and is still evaluating the situation.
Another statement on the issue came from Doğu Perinçek, the leader of Vatan Party. Perinçek said the following:
Türkiye has entered a new process after the slogans of ‘Government resign’ in the stands of Fenerbahçe four days ago. The Atlantic powers carried out propaganda “No state, no government, no army, no police” after the earthquake. Now we are moving from the propaganda stage to the action stage.
Shouting ‘government resign’ is undoubtedly the right of every citizen. However, sometimes the one who shouts becomes important, and the one who shouts slogans falls into the position of the tool of the setup. When we look at history, from the Chief of Fascism Mussolini and the Nazi “Führer” Hitler to the Orange Revolution actor Zelensky, imperialist initiatives also advanced to power by shouting the broad masses. The shouting mass was exercising its freedom. Those who motivated the masses to shout were at the control of a setup to destroy freedoms and the future of their country.
Everyone should know. If they do not know, they will learn by experience: the slogans of the pure-hearted audience in the stands, ‘The government resigns,’ are the beginning of a new setup. Just as FETÖ pushed the button for the Ergenekon-Balyoz setup in 2007, the button was pushed again from the US operation center.
Perinçek also addressed the elections and called for a new government model for President Erdoğan. Perinçek made the following statements:
“A government that will overcome great difficulties can be established under present conditions in partnership with the AK Party + MHP + Vatan Party under the leadership of our President Erdoğan. This government is not a government to be formed by the AK Party and its supporters; it is a government to govern Türkiye together. This option will mobilize the patriotic masses of the CHP and the IYI Party beyond the forces pursuing national politics. This understanding only can unite a large segment of the nation, and the current threat from the Atlantic can only be deterred by this formula. Türkiye’s accumulation of international alliances can only be made effective with this solution.”