If you bring bad news, you’re kicked out…
After the inflation rate in Turkey had recently risen rapidly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (67) fired the head of the national statistics authority.
On Saturday, Erdogan appointed the former deputy head of the Turkish banking supervisory authority, Erhan Cetinkaya, to succeed Sait Erdal Dincer, the head of the authority.
Pure arbitrariness: The President gave no reason for his decision. Dincer came under criticism at the beginning of January after his agency reported an increase in the inflation rate of a good 36 percent (!) compared to the previous year.
This was the highest value for more than 19 years. The inflation rate had already reached around 21 percent in November 2021.
Inflation twice as high as stated?
The opposition disputes the official figures on inflation and suggests that the real increase in the cost of living is at least twice as high.
Erdogan reportedly accused Dincer of exaggerating the extent of Turkey’s economic crisis.
▶︎ Inflation has now become one of the most important political issues. The main reason for the inflation is the sharp fall in the national currency, the lira. After all, Turkey is heavily dependent on imports, especially raw materials and energy.
And another one is gone: Erdogan also appointed a new justice minister on Saturday. The previous head of department, Abdulhamit Gül, will be replaced by former Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag. Gül had previously announced his resignation in a brief statement on Twitter.
Photo: Francisco Seco/dpa
” data-zoom-src=”https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/istanbul-a-woman-buying-on-the-street-market-in-a-view-of-the-weak-national-currency-lira-dro-4f15b82f5db04e63ac4288ee4045a3d9 -78981446/image/2.image.jpg”/> Istanbul: A woman shops at the street market – given the weak local currency, the lira, there is a risk of ever higher inflationPhoto: Francisco Seco/dpa
Measures threatened against “harmful” media content
Erdogan also warned on Saturday that his government would take tougher action against the media. A directive signed by Erdogan and published in the Official Journal states that “necessary measures” would be taken against “harmful content” in the “written, oral and visual press”.
︎ However, these censorship actions were not specifically named. The aim is to minimize a “destructive effect” on society, including children and young people.
According to critics, the new directive threatens to tighten censorship in Turkey. “The right to freedom of expression guaranteed in the constitution must not be destroyed. The policy has no legal basis, but in practice it means more pressure/censorship,” lawyer Veysel Ok wrote on Twitter.
Photo: Murad Sezer/REUTERS
” data-zoom-src=”https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/der-verfall-der-türkischen-waehrung-lira-puts-president-erdogan-under-pressure-dc9e370cff9b42ae84801b27f8ba5202-78981558/Bild/2. image.jpg”/> The decline in the Turkish currency, the lira, is putting pressure on President ErdoganPhoto: Murad Sezer/REUTERS
Media are in Erdogan’s hands
Turkish media are largely under the direct or indirect control of the government, and control over content on the Internet has also been tightened time and time again.
Explosive: In 2020, parliament passed a law that would allow tighter controls on Twitter, Facebook and other social media.