CHP slams president, gov’t ahead of polls

ANKARA

AA Photo

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader has increased his criticism against the president and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government over serious internal and foreign policy issues, as the CHP rolls up sleeves for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu held the CHP’s party assembly meeting in which the party’s strategy for the elections to be held June 7 and methodology to select its candidates were largely discussed.

“The AKP said it will fight against poverty, corruption and prohibitions. I call on my 77 million citizens: Which of these promises have been fulfilled? Did they fight against corruption? Corruption and theft have now reached the highest levels of the state and they protected [the perpetrators]. Which moral, which conscience, which religion and which faith are they talking about? I do not understand,” Kılıçdaroğlu said. Poverty is rising in the country, saying that 29 million out of 77 million are living under the poverty threshold.

Government policies have begun to deteriorate the social health and integrity of the society with every person out of four was in depression and one out of five marriages end with divorce according to the official figures, Kılıçdaroğlu asked “Why would people use antidepressants in a peaceful society?”
The number of inmates increased from 60,000 to 152,000 in the last 12 years since the AKP came to the power, Kılıçdaroğlu said, this figure will even double or triple if the security bill is passed at parliament.

Kılıçdaroğlu said: “All policies put into practice by the AKP have collapsed; there is not even a single successful policy. If they embrace theft as a policy, then yes, they are successful there; if they embrace poverty as their policy, then yes, they are successful there, too. No one can do the same.”