Turkey: Recep Tayyip Erdogan maintains date of presidential and legislative elections

The Turkish Head of State de facto excludes any postponement from the ballot to which he announced to represent himself despite the situation in the regions affected by the earthquake of February 6.

Mo12345lemonde With AFP

The presidential and legislative elections in Turkey will take place on May 14, as planned, announced on Wednesday 1 er Mars President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite the devastating earthquake of February 6. Denouncing the critical voices which rose against the management of the cataclysm by his government, the Head of State assured: “We will give them the appropriate answer on May 14.” He excluded de facto any postponement from the election to which he Announced representing itself despite the situation in the affected regions.

More than 45,000 people died in eleven southern and southeast provinces of Turkey – more than 50,000 counting the dead in neighboring Syria. The Head of State had asked “forgiveness” on Monday for delays in the first days in the organization of help while calls for help emerged from rubble.

“Vicious debates”

m. Erdogan again recognized Wednesday, before the parliamentarians of his party, the AKP (Party of Justice and Development), that the rescue operations had been delayed the first days “due to chaos and weather conditions”.

“However, just a few hours after the earthquake, our ministers contacted the affected cities and began to coordinate work,” he said. “We tried to do everything that could be,” he insisted by denouncing the “vicious debates” concerning institutions and the army. According to Erdogan, fourteen million people were affected by the earthquake.

/Media reports cited above.