Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to postpone the elections he announced to May 14, but public opinion polls show dissatisfaction with the Turkish people, accusing the Turkish leader of poor organization of rescue work after the earthquake.
And although Erdogan apologized for the delay in rescue operations and assistance to the residents of the province of Antiyaman, at the same time, Turkey’s stadiums over the weekend turned into fields for mass demonstrations against the Turkish president, chanting anti-government slogans.
Three weeks after the deadly earthquake in Turkey’s southeast, the latest poll shows clear public dissatisfaction with Erdogan’s AKP party. The poll shows a drop in the percentage of the party, according to SKAI. According to an ALF survey, the percentages are as follows:
- alliance of the nation (Kylychdaroglu-Axener) 47.6%
- People’s Alliance (Erdogan – Bahceli) 35.1%
- Pro-Kurdish HDP 9.8%.
Erdogan apologizes for delayed rescue work
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized for the delay in providing assistance to the residents of the province of Antiyaman, one of the hardest hit after the devastating earthquake on February 6. “Due to the destructive force of the quake and bad weather conditions, we were unable to work as we wanted in Antiyaman for many days. I apologize for that,” the Turkish president said during his visit to the province, three weeks after the earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people in Turkey, as well as in neighboring Syria.
Cumhurbaskanı Erdoğan:
“İlk birkaç gün Adıyaman’da arzu ettiğimiz etkinlikte çalışma yürütemedik. Bunun için sizden helallik istiyorum.”https://t.co/vgtfIb2Mep pic.twitter.com/nZVOSqLPiK
— ANKA Haber Ajansı (@ankahabera) February 27, 2023
Demonstrations in stadiums in Turkey
Football stadiums in Turkey have recently turned into protest venues against the government’s responsibility for the earthquake. In particular, Besiktas fans, wishing to support children affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, threw soft toys onto the field.
Beşiktaş fans threw toys and stuffed animals onto the pitch to be sent to children who were affected by the earthquakes.
The beautiful game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pzGyUiD7hr
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 26, 2023
The match against Antalyaspor came to a halt in the 5th minute as home supporters threw hundreds of teddy bears onto the pitch from 04:17 in memory of the children affected by the earthquake. The timing was not accidental, as the first earthquake occurred at dawn, at 04:17. Fans of the host side chanted: “Government, resign!” Something similar happened a few days ago, when Fenerbahce fans, during the match with Konyaspor, shouted anti-government slogans with the following content: “Twenty years of lies and deceit, resign!”.
Beşiktaş tribünleri ayakta: “Hükümet istifa!” pic.twitter.com/kBvzlSjxeI
— Haber (@Haber) February 26, 2023
Cocuklar hep gülsün. pic.twitter.com/JWyzKTLgD2
— Beşiktaş JK (@Besiktas) February 26, 2023
Turkish pro-government media blame foreign NGOs for what is happening, but this does not help much …
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