ANKARA (AP/Xinhua) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that his government still intends to hold elections a month earlier than scheduled despite an earthquake last month that devastated parts of southern Turkey.
In an address to legislators of his ruling party, Erdogan chided critics of the government’s handling of the earthquake’s aftermath and said the people would give their response to those critics on May 14 — the election date his ruling party had tentatively set for before the deadly tremor hit.
The Feb. 6 earthquake and strong aftershocks that struck Turkey and Syria have killed around 50,000 people — the vast majority in Turkey.
Close to 204,000 buildings either collapsed or were severely damaged in Turkey, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Officials say 14 million people were affected by the quake and millions of people have either left or had been evacuated from the quake-stricken region.
Erdogan didn’t provide information on how the elections could be organized in the quake zone or say whether displaced survivors would be able to cast ballots in their new locations.
The Turkish leader, who has been in power since 2003, is seeking a third term in office as president.
The presidential and general elections, which need to be held no later than June 18, come at a tough time for Erdogan who has seen a decline in his ratings because of skyrocketing inflation.
Two people died and 140 others were injured after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake, the latest in a series of tremors, struck the southeastern Turkish province of Malatya, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced Tuesday.
Among the injured people, 40 have been hospitalized, 12 of whom remained in serious condition, the AFAD said in a statement.
The earthquake, with a depth of 6.96 km, centered in the Yesilyurt district of the province.
Malatya province is among the 10 Turkish provinces that were hit by the powerful tremors on Feb. 6.
Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year but it will be many months before thousands can leave tents or container housing, and daily queues for food, and move into permanent housing.
On Tuesday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that it would support Ankara in its response to the quake.
Turkey is “doing its best” but still needed international support to help victims, Tedros said.