Opposition parties keep slamming Turkish government over graft allegations

ANKARA

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) presents Mine Orhon, his party’s municipal candidate in Rize. AA photo

Opposition parties have ratcheted up their criticisms against the government over massive corruption and graft claims in their pre-election rallies, accusing the prime minister and government members of robbing the state and the people.

“Corruption and graft are worse than cancer and gangrene. And if it becomes permanent because of indifference, then society will be spoiled. The spoliation of the people will lead to the collapse of the state which would pave the way for separatist groups to take advantage of this,” Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said in an address to voters in the Thracian province of Tekirdağ March 5.

Warning that no political parties can exist in a corrupt state facing the risk of chaos and civil war, Bahçeli said it was time to say “no” to these developments in March 30 local polls.

Noting the increasing flood of tapes allegedly showing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally involved in corruption, Bahçeli said: “Mr. Prime Minister says they are fabricated. We are not sure whether they are fabricated or not. They should be examined. But you cannot fool the people by arguing they are fabricated.”

Arguing that Erdoğan’s political life has ended, Bahçeli repeated that he could not be elected as president after such unearned gain.   

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was in Rize and Artvin, in the eastern Black Sea region, addressing his party’s voters. Underlining that no party leader had publicly declared his or her assets except for him, Kılıçdaroğlu slammed Erdoğan, saying: “Would he declare them? No. Why is he not declaring his properties if he earned his money in an honest way? Why not if you are an upright man?”

Erdoğan and his government promised to fight corruption when they were elected but they did not keep their word, Kılıçdaroğlu said. “Now I am asking those who are voting for the AKP: Are you going to vote for the sons of these [corrupt] ministers or vote for the sons of this people? You know what the sons of these ministers have been doing,” he said, recalling that their houses had been found full of dollars and euros.

“You also know where the sons of this people are. They are in jail. They have freed thieves who are walking around freely now. Be careful with your pockets, there may be the hands of the chief thief in your pockets because their common character is to rob people,” he said.