Turkey has potential to grow if political polarization ends: CHP

ANKARA

Turkey has become entirely dependent on the changes in the U.S. dollar as a result of the new economic measures the government has taken, the main opposition leader has stated, repeating his calls for snap elections as Turkey needs a change.

“We are all now fixed to the U.S. dollar. ‘Where is the dollar going?’ ‘The dollar is down, the dollar is up’… Which mother will be concerned about all these while her child goes to bed hungry? Does she have dollars? No,” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said at a meeting in Ankara on Dec. 22.

He repeated his criticisms against the new model aiming to curb the devaluation of the Turkish Lira against the currencies which suggests that Turkish Lira deposit holders would be compensated for possible losses from the decline of the local currency.

“We have our Turkish Lira. We must all protect the credibility and value of the Turkish Lira. If you guarantee the deposits in the banks by indexing its value to the U.S. dollar, this is wrong,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, underlining that 66 percent of the deposits in the banks are in foreign currencies.

“Why? Because people do not trust. They keep their savings in the currencies. This picture should be changed,” he said.

“Turkey can solve its problems in the case you give the necessary authority to us,” he suggested, underlining the need for change in Turkey. “The elections are a must. The biggest jury is the people.”

Turkey has the potential to grow its economy if it can end its internal political quarrels and polarization in politics, Kılıçdaroğlu stressed.