Locals in Turkey's north 'ban' AKP politicians from entering village

Villagers in Turkey's Tokat have "banned" AKP politicians from entering their village due to not being able to receive services. They put up a sign to declare the ban, which stated that Erdoğan is the only person from the AKP who can enter.

Sunday October 24 2021 05:20 pm

Duvar English

Locals in the northern province of Tokat have "banned" politicians of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) from entering their village, citing a lack of services.

The villagers said that the only AKP politician who can enter is President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Speaking to the daily Cumhuriyet, Çamağzı village head Mustafa Keskin noted that they haven't been able to receive services for the past three years.

"Do I need to be someone's man to get services? We have switched to agriculture without water. We don't accept any AKP politician here," Keskin said, as he put up a sign that declared the ban.

"Our fields have been burned because of the drought. We can't water our fields. I conveyed this to lawmakers, but none took care of it," he added.

Saying that the villagers want deputies who take care of people's problems, Keskin said, "We're fed up."

"We've been resisting for the past three years, but now we're at the point of rebelling. We don't accept anyone from the AKP except for the Chief," he said, referring to Erdoğan's nickname.

"We'll have second thoughts on voting for the AKP," Keskin added.