Özel vows push for rental aid to quake victims

MALATYA

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has announced a new initiative aimed at securing continued rental assistance for those affected by last year's devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

“You haven't built the houses and you have forgotten about the rents. You've left the people in tents and containers,” Özel said at an event in Malatya on June 22.

Özel claimed that nine out of ten families were still residing in temporary shelters such as tents and containers.

“Those who sought votes for the [May] elections have rebuilt 6 percent [of the houses] in a year and a half," he said.

His comments come in response to the termination of rental aid for earthquake victims this month.

"If you leave millions of people in these 10 provinces without rental assistance, I hereby promise you that, I will start Türkiye's biggest resistance for this rental assistance,” Özel pledged.

"We will not let you crush the earthquake victims."

The earthquakes on Feb. 6 last year resulted in over 53,000 deaths and directly affected more than 14 million people across a vast area of 120,000 square kilometers. Malatya's population fell from 812,000 to 742,000 due to the disaster and subsequent migration.

Meanwhile, the CHP leader underscored the economic struggles faced by citizens, including those in the earthquake-hit area.

"Politics is about listening to the voice of the street. There is no sound on the street anymore, only screams. People are screaming, saying 'we can't make ends meet,'" he said.

Moreover, Özel invited citizens to a "labor rally" in Kocaeli on June 30. The event aims to unite workers from various sectors, including minimum-wage earners, those with incomes below the minimum threshold and white-collar employees.