Turkish energy minister vows ‘no power cut’ in June 7 elections

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

CİHAN Photo

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has reiterated his comments about taking the necessary precautions to avoid any power outages during voting for the June 7 general elections, a concern expressed by opposition parties after a major power outage left the country without power for eight hours during the local elections of March 31, 2014.

“What is important for us is to conduct the June 7 elections without any blackouts. We have taken all the necessary measures regarding the issue. We are also taking supplementary precautions,” Yıldız said.
He added that there would “hopefully” be no need for political parties or civil society organizations to worry about the power supply during the elections. “God willing, there will not be any problems on that day,” Yıldız stated.

Meanwhile, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Secretary General Gürsel Tekin said the security of the ballot box was the “main responsibility of the state,” adding that the scope of parties’ work with civil society organizations to maintain the polls’ security was limited.

“Of course, political parties are going to take their own measures. But the security of the polls is not a simple thing,” said Tekin during a press meeting he organized at the CHP’s provincial HQ in Istanbul on April 9. “The security of the ballot box belongs to the state and to the Higher Election Board [YSK].”

However, on the same day, production in 60 factories in the industrial northwestern province of Kocaeli halted due to a three-hour-long power outage that was caused once again by a problem at the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEİAŞ), Cihan News Agency reported.