Republican People’s Party’s presidential candidate Muharrem İnce said on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could not survive an economic crisis because he is picking a fight with the whole world, the T24 news website reported.
“What happened to make [Erdoğan] call a snap election? Why? A crisis is at the door, an economic crisis. Erdoğan can’t survive this economic crisis. Let me tell you why he can’t. He is picking fight with the whole world,” İnce said during a rally in the Bağcılar district of İstanbul.
İnce stated that Turkey needs new blood that will bring democracy back and reassure the outside world.
“Turkey is heading to dark days. Don’t be surprised if the Turkish lira hits 8 or 10 to the dollar. When troubled days have come to countries around the world, they couldn’t get through them unless they changed leaders,” İnce said.
Economy is the main topic of the political campaigns in advance of snap elections on June 24.
While the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been bragging about “mega projects” such as the third bridge and the third airport in İstanbul, the opposition has been stressing the rate of inflation, the value of the Turkish lira and the national debt.
“Turkey has resources, but they are in the pockets of thieves. [The government] ran up $453 billion in debt. They collected $2 trillion from your pockets. What happened in return? Did your son find a job?” İYİ (Good) Party presidential candidate Meral Akşener said at a campaign rally in İzmir on Sunday.
“City hospitals were tendered to pro-government companies. Hospitals will be filled with patients, Erdoğan said on TV. Those companies earn money when you’re sick. Bridges, undersea tunnels, all belong to partisan contractors.”