Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has likened the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s criticism of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to “insidious plots” targeting Turkey.

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“While Turkey is continuing its struggle on many fronts — from the coronavirus epidemic to terrorism, cross-border operations and economic attacks — unfortunately we have to also deal with the opposition’s insidious plots,” Erdoğan said on May 12, prior to a meeting with senior AKP officials.

Erdoğan
claimed that the CHP’s criticism of the government’s handling foreign
policy matters as well as the coronavirus crisis is an indication
that Turkey “is facing a dark mentality.”

“In even such a period, we are facing a dark mentality which is using every means possible [to hurt the gov’t] from touting for a coup to overshadowing our successes in the health sector and diplomacy. We will not leave the floor to this fascist mentality which has lost its balance to the extent that it risks hurting its own country in order to hurt us [AKP],” Erdoğan said.

Turkish gov’t ‘may go to snap polls to prevent further loss of votes’

In similar marks made on May 11, Erdoğan insinuated that the Turkish economy is currently suffering a myriad woes due to “foreign plots.”

“We
are aware of insidious aims behind traps being set for our economy
and the economy’s management,” Erdoğan said on May 11, following
a Cabinet meeting, vowing to defeat these “foreign plots.”

Experts believe that a major pandemic-induced financial crisis is about to hit Turkey. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that the Turkish economy will shrink by 5 percent percent for 2020, driving up unemployment to 17.2 percent and inflation to 12 percent. Some predictions paint an even grimmer picture in which unemployment could reach 30 percent.

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