
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared last week’s earthquake the deadliest catastrophe since the country’s inception a century ago. With elections on the horizon and anger at the government rising, FRANCE 24 spoke to political analyst Taha Ouda Oglo about the calamity’s possible implications for Turkish politics and the country’s longtime ruler.
Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power on the heels of the 1999 quake that killed more than 17,000 people and displaced countless more. The new government pledged change, promising that Turkey would be ready for the next quake. However, this was not the case.