Earth quake shatters Turkey President Erdogan’s election dreams: report
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Adiyaman, Turkey: The devastating quake in Turkey has left its aftershock of more political kind on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish leader was improving his approval ratings when the earth quake struck the nation, making him to work from the scratch on public support again.
His approval ratings plummeted after the nation suffered a dire economic crisis last year, according to news agency AFP.
The quake that killed more than 21,000 people across Turkey and Syria came in the way of Erdogan’s plans to hold a ‘crunch election’ on May 14.
He hoped that winning the poll could help him stay in power until 2028 extending his two-decade rule.
The short notice he had issued for the polls left the ‘splintered opposition’ unable to agree on a joint presidential candidate.
Given the vast devastation from the quake, it remains to be seen whether that vote can now go ahead as planned.
Meanwhile, Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency across 10 quake-hit provinces, according to the report.
Rescuers are still digging out the dead while a large number of people are living on the streets or in their cars.
The despair and pain that run deep in the nation obviously will foil Erdogan’s plans to hold the election any time sooner.
His plummeting popularity can be seen best reflected in Adiyaman province, which is one of the hardest-hit by the quake.
Locals complain of delay in rescue operations with many blaming the lack of equipment to save people trapped under the debris.
"I did not see anyone until 2:00 pm on the second day of the earthquake," Adiyaman resident Mehmet Yildirim reportedly said.
Faced with criticism, Erdogan on Wednesday admitted his administration’s 'shortcomings’ in handling the disaster.
In an attempt to reach out to the masses, the 68-year-old held a rescue response meeting on Tuesday and visited many devastated cities.
