Why is the Deputy Prime Minister going to Istanbul?

A very pertinent post from Michael Reddell

croaking cassandra

The government seems determined to do its utmost to assist in the election campaign of the odious Turkish President Erdogan.  It surely cannot be their conscious intention, but how else to read what they are doing?

There are local elections in Turkey next weekend. The Financial Times reports that the ruling party is facing the possibility of losing control of the capital city, Ankara.  The economy –  which has done remarkably well in recent decades (as I’ve noted here, real GDP per hour worked is now almost equal to New Zealand) – is currently in a sharp downturn.

With Turkish economy in sharp recession, Erdogan’s AKP are worrying about possibly losing control of Ankara in local elections. https://t.co/iw1TBIfwuzpic.twitter.com/tLTxyoFEMz

— Adam Tooze (@adam_tooze) March 19, 2019

Erdogan appears to be trying to bolster his local appeal by wrapping around himself some sort of self-acquired mantle as a leader among Islamic…

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