Stunning New York Times Election Commentary: Earthquake Could Be Erdogan’s Disaster
The debates after the earthquakes that asphyxiated Turkey and the upcoming electoral process are closely followed in the world press.
The article titled “The state did not support the people, they did not have to die like this”, published in the New York Times, one of the main US media outlets, commented that the earthquake could also be a disaster for President Tayyip Erdogan.
The newspaper, which included the cry of those who lost their relatives in the earthquake, “No one came to our aid”, claimed that Erdogan’s increasingly autocratic government tried to present the destruction of the earthquake as “a disaster for which no one would be ready”, but few people believed it. In the article signed by Lydia Polgreen, in which it was recorded that the earthquake also shook the faith of the Turkish people in the government, it was commented that the disaster “undermined the strongman image of Erdoğan”.
‘THE TURKISH PEOPLE ARE VERY ANGRY’
Speaking to the New York Times, a Turkish lawyer said: “I am not saying that the civil defense teams have collapsed. There was no such team. “I saw that there was not the slightest preparation,” he said.
Recalling that Erdogan came to power making many promises after the 1999 earthquakes, the article states that after more than 20 years, the roles have changed and the Erdogan government has failed to lead the country against corruption and greed. In the article, it was noted that people in Turkey were very angry and voices of “government resignation” were raised from the stadiums, and it was also stated that many people were disturbed by the construction frenzy that accompanied Erdogan’s rise. .
‘DISASTER CAN UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGE THE FLOW OF THE STORY’
Writing that Erdogan portrayed a more democratic government in the early years of his rule, but then increased pressure on the opposition, civil society and independent media, The New York Times assessed that an environment in which one person controls everything makes make Turkey more vulnerable to new disasters. .
Expressing that Erdogan has many friends in the world despite the earthquake disaster, the newspaper stated that Erdogan also knows very well that a disaster changes the course of history suddenly and unexpectedly, and many polls indicate that united opposition against the government can Win the election. .