Frustration is mounting in regions hit by powerful earthquakes earlier this week in Turkey. While aid is struggling to arrive in certain areas and the quality of buildings is questioned, Erdogan’s regime appears to be weakened.
The balance sheet continues to grow. While the WHO warned that 23 million people could be affected by the disaster, at least 17,500 people died in the earthquakes that mourned Anatolia (Turkey), including 3,162 in Syria and 14,351 in Turkey.
Since Monday, the victims continue to flow and the Turkish authorities find themselves under the fire of criticism. While many residents of the disaster areas deplore the slow arrival of relief and the inadequacy of emergency aid, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recognized this Wednesday “gaps”.
Upcoming elections
These earthquakes in Turkey come three months before the presidential and legislative elections, which are crucial for the Turkish president. The latter was already in an uncomfortable position before Monday, “balanced in the polls”, according to Dorothée Schmid, head of the contemporary Turkey and Middle East program at IFRI.
In 1999, during the last major earthquake in Turkey that killed more than 17,000 people, it was partly criticism of the authorities that led Erdogan’s party, the AKP, to victory three years later . The then Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, had been targeted for his management of relief to the populations.
This time, the Head of State immediately declared a maximum level of emergency calling for international aid and moved to certain affected provinces.
“An effective emergency response could strengthen the head of state and his party by creating a sense of national solidarity under Erdogan’s leadership,” said Wolfango Piccoli of political risk consultancy Teneo in a note.
An authoritarian and centralized regime
“Erdogan was taken aback: it is an increasingly authoritarian and increasingly centralized regime, so in situations like that, there is not a very good ability to react”, explains Dorothée Schmid on BFMTV .
In addition, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is particularly criticized for having marginalized the army. As soon as the earthquakes hit, the army did not act soon enough because the government canceled a protocol allowing it to act without instructions.
“The army can no longer be on the front line because it is a potential competitor for Erdogan, while it is the most effective in emergency situations”, details Dorothée Schmid.
The opposition also criticizes Erdogan’s repression of civil society for several years, especially since the failed coup in 2016. The leader of the main opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has accused the government of not cooperating with the local authorities and weaken non-governmental organizations that could help.