A 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Monday increased pressure on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan three months before presidential and parliamentary elections that were presaged by intense competition even before the disaster. Amid growing criticism of the slowness and poor organization of relief operations, Erdogan, who has been in power since 2003, was eager to inspect the affected area on Wednesday, admitting negligence. He said during his visit to Hatay province near the Syrian border: “Of course, there are loopholes. It is impossible to prepare for such a disaster.” policies that go beyond the traditional approach have triggered an inflationary spiral in the country, driving up consumer prices by 85% in the past year, and with political risks looming, the president deliberately counterattacked.
A few hours after the earthquake, he held a press conference in Ankara, followed by a long series of other conferences. On Wednesday, he arrived in an area near the epicenter of the earthquake in Kahramanmaras province, where he hugged an injured woman amidst the rubble. before heading south to Hatay province, where the highest number of casualties occurred. President Erdogan is well aware that the incompetence of the authorities, when the last strong earthquake hit Turkey in 1999, led his party to victory three years later. disaster or lose everything.
