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Fistfight at Turkey’s Parliament amid Budget Talks

Fistfight at Turkey’s Parliament amid Budget Talks
folder_openTurkey access_time2 years ago
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By Staff, Agencies

Disagreements between Turkey’s opposing legislators erupted into brawling on Wednesday at a parliamentary budget meeting.

The fight was sparked by a debate between Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Erkan Aydin, who is part of the opposing Republican People's Party [CHP].

Aydin questioned the minister on why he used a plane owned by a businessman facing money laundering allegations, then showed off what he said was a picture of the incident.

The statement drew anger from Soylu, who shouted, “You're lying! You are a liar!” before a brawl between CHP and the ruling Justice and Development Party [AK Parti] erupted.

Tensions are high as Turkey tries to confront the country’s crashing currency values and rising inflation.

The Turkish lira plummeted 30 percent in November, and inflation reached 21 percent, a market crash caused by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policies.

Erdogan is continuing to slice Turkey’s interest rates, despite pushback from economists on the strategy.

He argued that Turkey’s policy of high interest rates was one which “caused several developing countries to remain stagnant.”

Erdogan is pursuing a subsequent term in Turkey’s upcoming elections, which are expected to commence no later than mid-2023.

However, his political faction, the AK Parti, is seeing a decline in support, according to election polls.

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