• The February 6 earthquake killed at least 50,000 people and directly affected 15 million in Türkiye.
  • President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made three whirlwind tours of the 11 affected provinces.
  • May 14 has been announced as the date of the election. Opposition parties have chosen Kemal Kilicdaroglu as their presidential candidate.
  • Erdogan recorded 2.4 per cent increase in the popular vote in December 2022.
  • 612 persons are suspected of corrupt building practices and 184 have been arrested so far, including Okkes Kavak, Mayor of Nurdagi.
  • Reconstruction will cost $34 billion, or 4 per cent of Türkiye’s GDP.
  • Opinion polls showed opposition NA vote tally has reached 46.6 per cent, while vote share of ruling DA has shrunk to around 40 per cent.
  • Economic problems are already weighing heavily against Erdogan. Türkiye steadily increased healthcare spending to 4.3 per cent of GDP over the past seven years.
  • Between 2003 and 2013, Türkiye’s per capita income increased from $4,739 to $12,582.
  • Many believe Erdogan has the ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute.