Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that his government still intends to hold elections a month earlier than scheduled despite an earthquake last month that devastated parts of southern Turkey.
In an address to legislators of his ruling party, Erdogan chided critics of the government’s handling of the earthquake's aftermath and said the people would give their response to those critics on May 14 —The Feb. 6 earthquake and strong aftershocks that struck Turkey and Syria have killed aroundClose to 204,000 buildings either collapsed or were severely damaged in Turkey, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Erdogan didn't provide information on how the elections could be organized in the quake zone or say whether displaced survivors would be able to cast ballots in their new locations. The presidential and general elections, which need to be held no later than June 18, come at a tough time for Erdogan who has seen a decline in his ratings because ofErdogan has conceded shortcomings in the initial stages of the response but has blamed them on adverse weather conditions as well as the destruction the earthquake caused to roads and infrastructure.“We will remove the debris, we will heal the wounds.
Experts point to lax enforcement of building codes as a major reason why the quake caused so much destruction.
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