Opposition leader Davutoğlu says concerned about allegations of looming civil unrest

Duvar English

Former Prime Minister and current leader of the opposition Future (Gelecek) Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu has said he was concerned that “some incidents” in the form of a major civil unrest might occur in Turkey by winter months.

Davutoğlu's comments came as allegations of a looming “internal disorder” have started to come to the surface amid the deteriorating economic crisis.

Earlier in July, the leader of Turkey's newly formed far-right Victory Party (ZP), Ümit Özdağ, claimed that “a civil war” was awaiting Turkey, which led the Interior Ministry to launch an investigation against him.

The Interior Ministry accused Özdağ of “making up fictitious claims,” but Davutoğlu signaled that Özdağ's comments may not be too far-fetched.

“Let me express that every conscious and responsible politician needs to be prepared against every scenario. Unfortunately, the environment of polarization that Turkey is in has the characteristic of producing many negative scenarios,” Davutoğlu said in comments made to journalist Murat Sabuncu from online news outlet T24.

“I am really very concerned about this winter. I have concerns that some incidents can occur this winter against the backdrop of especially economic conditions. All statesmen and politicians need to meet at a reasonable point,” he said.

“I do not find that such rumors are spread but to speak in a clear way, we can face a situation this winter in which social risks have been formed. There is this risk due to the economic situation,” Davutoğlu said, adding that he was observing a general “social tension” in Turkey. 

Across the country, citizens are protesting rising living costs and stagnating wages as Turkey faces its worst economic crisis in decades, with the annual inflation reaching 78.62 percent, the highest since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took power two decades ago. Independent economists say the actual inflation rate likely twice the official numbers.