Minister dollar-showered at wedding in southeastern Turkey

ŞANLIURFA – Doğan News Agency

Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik was showered with dollar bills during a wedding in Şanlıurfa, a tradition symbolizing fortune and prosperity in southeastern Turkey. DHA photo

Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik has been showered with one-dollar banknotes during a wedding at Şanlıurfa, where he was conducting his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) local election campaign March 2.

Following the wedding ceremony, local boy Çelik took part in the unavoidable “halay” and was duly showered with dollar bills, a tradition meant to symbolize fortune and prosperity.

The apparently trivial incident comes at a time when the government is facing widespread corruption allegations, particularly following leaked voice recordings incriminating Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his family.

Çelik, who was the main witness of the wedding, used the occasion to convey Erdoğan’s now well-known instructions on fertility.

“May they have three children. But people in Şanlıurfa know their business, so this advice is not necessary over here,” Çelik told his fellow townspeople, who are known for having very large families.

The AKP is facing a difficult local election campaign due to the corruption claims. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described the polls on March 30 as the most important elections his party has yet faced.