Turkey was shaken: they decided to use the consequences of the earthquake against the opposition

After the April 23 earthquake in Istanbul, the ruling elites in Turkey tried to use the current situation to pacify the opposition, which continues to protest over the arrest of ex-Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Erdogan's ally, nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli, said that the main thing now is to strengthen buildings, not to go to rallies. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

To distract attention

"Those who neglected their responsibilities in managing the city and got carried away with the usual political controversy deliberately plunged Istanbul into a whirlpool of risk, threats and dangers. There is an urgent need to act together to protect and preserve Istanbul," said Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party.

In his opinion, possible disasters in the future can be overcome with the help of solidarity at the state and national levels.

"And what's more, by entrusting Istanbul to competent and decent hands. Earthquakes should now become the main item on the agenda in Istanbul," the politician stressed.

Photo: TASS/AP/Khalil Hamra

He criticized the mayor's office, saying that it only did what it argued about politics, instead of preparing the city for possible disasters. He believes that now everyone needs to forget about their differences and save one of the largest megacities in the world.

Former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was considered a serious rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2028 elections, was arrested on March 19. Supporters of the former mayor from the Republican People's Party (CHP), who disagree with this decision, organize protests and boycotts of companies associated with the government.

Bahceli tried to divert attention from Imamoglu's arrest. He was supported by Environment Minister Murat Kurum, who lost to Imamoglu in the mayoral election in 2024. He called on the opposition to "forget about politics" and start saving the city, otherwise the consequences, in his opinion, would be catastrophic.

Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Imamoglu himself wrote on his Facebook page after the earthquake that fighting the elements is more important than politics, and called for unity. But in a subsequent tweet, he added that "the government's repression has already caused trillions of lira of damage to the economy — a million buildings could have been repaired with this money."

Meanwhile, the opposition is building up pressure. The leader of the CHP, Ozgur Ozel, revealed to The Financial Times an action plan: collecting signatures for early elections, regular street protests and expanding support for Imamoglu among different groups of voters. According to polls, almost 94% of the protesters in Ankara are young people under the age of 35, and not all of them are supporters of the CHP.

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Prove it by deed, not by word

In an interview with Izvestia, Alina Sbitneva, a researcher at the Department of the Near and Post-Soviet East of the INION RAS, noted that after the disaster of 2023, the topic of earthquakes is very sensitive for Turkey.

— However, despite this, both then and now it is actively used in the context of the polemic between the government and the opposition. Two years ago, the ruling Justice and Development Party, led by Erdogan, launched the same large-scale campaign to discredit the president's image on the eve of the general elections. At that time, he was accused of corruption, inaction, nepotism and many other sins," the Turkologist emphasized.

Photo: TASS/AP/Huseyin Aldemir

At the same time, according to her, it cannot be said that this campaign was completely groundless.

"Given the scale of the disaster, which in fact was previously predicted by many experts, the opposition is trying to cause similar reputational damage by highlighting shortcomings in the work of the authorities," the expert explained.

Ex-Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu

Photo: TASS/EPA/ERDEM SAHIN

She added that the ex-mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, had already made a statement from prison about the incompetence of the people in charge, hinting at the alleged "ongoing misuse of budget funds allocated just to minimize the risks from possible earthquakes and other disasters."

— In this situation, the President of the Republic of Turkey answered as he probably should have answered.: that earthquakes are not a subject for political speculation and that his team will monitor developments and work for the benefit of the nation," the specialist emphasized.

In her opinion, it is now in the power of the Turkish government not so much to use the consequences of the earthquake in the fight against the opposition, as to take control of the situation and prove its competence.

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Vladimir Avatkov, Doctor of Political Sciences, head of the Department of the Near and Post-Soviet East at the INION RAS, noted in a conversation with Izvestia that they have been talking about the possibility of a devastating earthquake in Istanbul for a long time.

— In Turkey, some people are jumping too actively at rallies, so that the economy is shaking and the lira continues to fall. And now there's an earthquake in Istanbul — six points. There is nothing to jump at rallies, just as there is nothing to play the world power and fight with everyone. We need to take care of the economy, take care of ourselves, and strengthen buildings, including buildings that have historical value for all mankind. Moreover, as Turkish seismologists say, the recent earthquake is just a release of energy before even more powerful tremors," the expert pointed out.