Turkey: two days before the first round of the presidential election, the country suspended during the onion

For or against Recep Tayyip Erdogan? This Friday, May 12, we are two days away from the first round of the presidential election in Turkey, which looks like a referendum. The Turkish leader faces a united opposition for the first time after 20 years in power. Facing him, three suitors, including his main Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, at the head since 2010 of the Republican People’s Party, the CHP (founded in 1923 by the father of modern Turkey). Kemal Kiliçdaroglu who is the candidate of an alliance of six opposition parties.

“We are not eating properly”

The ballot promises to be extremely tight, while the country is going through a deep economic crisis. Inflation in Turkey is the fourth highest in the world, behind Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Argentina. Inflation that had even exceeded 85% in October, the highest for a quarter of a century. The cost of living is one of the primary concerns of the opposition. The 80 million people living on Turkish territory live with three-digit inflation on food products and a vertiginous drop in their purchasing power.

Yalda, a Turkish woman, now counts the onions she buys individually, whereas they used to buy them per kilo. “In Turkey, we say omelettes with or without onions, but if there is no onion, it is not possible. Before, the poor lived on potatoes and onions. Today today, the kilo costs 35 pounds”, testifies Yalda at the microphone of Europe 1, eyes riveted on the labels. 35 pounds or 1.60 euros. A price seven times more expensive than last year, when the Turkish minimum wage barely reached 440 euros per month. The mother of the family has decided to give up on red meat. “I only buy it once a month, I take 200 grams of minced meat. There are five of us in the family and we don’t eat properly,” she reports.

“Prices will continue to rise”

From the street, the partisan songs of the electoral campaign resonate even in the stores. Despite his salary as air traffic controllers, a father reports to the microphone of Europe 1 that he fills his shopping cart at a minimum. “Prices will continue to rise, whether the current government or the opposition wins. Candidates can make promises, but the only thing that matters is to occupy the chair of power.” See you this Sunday, for the first round of the election.