First Lady Erdoğan again at center of criticism over luxury items, this time with over $35k worth watch
First Lady Emine Erdoğan has again drawn ire over her use of luxury goods, as an opposition lawmaker has said that she is seen wearing a Chopard brand wristwatch in a recently circulating photograph. İYİ (Good) Party deputy chair Ahmet Erozan said that the price of the watch in question starts at $35,000.
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İYİ (Good) Party deputy chair Ahmet Erozan has alleged that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan was wearing a watch that is priced at least 30,000 euros ($35,000) during a previous visit to Ethiopia.
Erozan made the remarks after a photograph that shows Erdoğan wearing the relevant watch is being circulated in an attempt to promote the first lady's new book “My Travels to Africa.”
The lawmaker said that the watch in the photograph belongs to the luxury brand Chopard's Happy Diamonds line.
“Would [President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] Tayyip write, but not Ms. Emine...Her book 'My Travels to Africa' decorated with photographs is on the market...Chopard Happy Diamonds wristwatch is in harmony with Africa's poverty. If her wristwatch is not fake, its price starts from 30,000 euros,” tweeted Erozan.
First Lady Emine Erdoğan was scheduled to introduce her book on her travels in Africa for the first time at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 20.
The book covers the first lady’s visits from 2014 to 2020 to 23 countries, including Algeria, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Senegal.
The book will go on sale in Turkey at the beginning of October, and will also be published in English, French, Arabic and Swahili.
This is not the first time that Emine Erdoğan has attracted criticism for owning luxurious items.
Although the first day claims to live a humble and modest life with strict Muslim values, designer clothes are known to be her passion.
In 2019, she received a similar backlash for carrying a $50,000 Hermes bag during a trip to Japan with President Erdoğan. The price tag at the time amounted to over a year’s salary for 11 people on minimum wage in Turkey.
Pro-gov't columnist from daily Hürriyet, Hande Fırat later came to Emine Erdoğan's defense by claiming that the Hermes purse was in fact a knock-off.
Daily Evrensel columnist Endrek İmrek at the time penned an opinion piece about the issue under the name of “The Hermes purse was shining bright,” which led to the journalist's prosecution over “insult” charges.
İmrek was acquitted of the charges a year later, but Erdoğan appealed the ruling.