Turkish elections power blackout culprit found: A cat

ANKARA - Doğan News Agency

A cat that entered a power distribution unit – and presumably was electrocuted – was the cause of controversial power blackouts during the vote-counting process after the March 30 local elections, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has said.

“I’m not joking, my friends. A cat entered a power distribution unit. It was the cause of the blackout [in Ankara] and it’s not the first time that it has happened. It is wrong to link it with the elections. It’s wrong to cry ‘foul play,’” Yıldız said while answering journalists’ questions in Ankara.

“Those who hid behind trees and green spaces in the Gezi Park [protests] are now hiding behind electric poles. This is very wrong. Opposition parties won in the districts where they filed these complaints. They behave like students who didn’t study their lessons enough,” Yıldız said.

On the election night, Yıldız had said storms and heavy snow were the cause of the power outages in other cities.