President Erdoğan blames CHP for collapsed buildings in İzmir earthquake

KOCAELİ

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has blamed the main opposition for collapsed buildings that claimed the lives of 114 people in the earthquake that hit the western province of İzmir on Oct. 30, accusing it of issuing licenses for the construction of residential buildings without proper earthquake-proof certificates.

“The CHP [Republican People’s Party] has also been trapped under the debris as a result of the earthquake in İzmir,” Erdoğan said in an address at the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) convention in in the northwestern province of Kocaeli on Nov. 8.

At least 114 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured as a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit İzmir, Turkey’s third-largest city by population, on Oct. 30. The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has been run by consecutive CHP mayors as the city is one of the strongholds of the social democrats.

“Weren’t you who issued necessary permissions for the construction of these buildings? Isn’t it you who authorized the constructions on the wetlands? How come now you dare to put the blame on us? You are the ones who are responsible for this,” Erdoğan stressed.

Although he tries to promote horizontal architecture, the CHP municipalities are favoring vertical structures, Erdoğan claimed. “What you are saying is beyond facelessness, it’s immorality.”

Erdoğan made these comments in reaction to the accusations by the CHP and other opposition parties who had questioned the whereabouts of the money collected from the people as part of national efforts to strengthen constructions against earthquakes.

Erdoğan informed that necessary financial support would be provided to those who have lost their houses, furniture and amenities and that the government would take the necessary steps for the new buildings to be ready by the end of next year.