Rescue team hangs election posters of Erdoğan and AKP in Turkey's Kars

Kadir Cesur / Gazete Duvar

A rescue team in the eastern province of Kars was spotted hanging election posters on the billboards for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The footage showing the moments went viral on social media. In the video, two members of the Kars Search and Rescue were spotted hanging election posters in front of the Kars City Stadium.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) top deputy candidate from Kars, İnan Akgün Alp, said that "Turkey is used to the use of public resources in favor of the ruling party on the eve of the election. We see that even their posters are hung by public employees, rather than doing their jobs. All of this drives us even more. We are currently the first party in Kars by far. We will elect our presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu despite all the oppression. We also note institutions that use public resources in this way."

Lawyer Alp also called on public employees and civil servants to resist this kind of practice. “I am aware of the heavy pressure on you. I am aware that you are exposed to partisan practices. We have very little time left before the election. I invite all our patriotic people to resist this pressure. There will be a relief in the CHP government. The heavy pressure on all our employees and our people will be lifted.”

The AKP government does not hesitate to use and exploit public resources in their favor during the election campaign, including state media, ministries, governor’s offices, media watchdog RTÜK, and even the Supreme Election Council (YSK), creating a heavily unfair election process for the opposition parties.

The government also increased the crackdown on opposition parties, especially pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), detaining hundreds of their members prior to the historic election.

The parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled to be held on May 14. Some polls suggest that Erdoğan and AKP’s 21-year rule might come to an end with this election after the economic crisis and rising cost of living.

(English version by Alperen Şen)

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