​Social unrest springs up amidst talk of Emergency Law

TURKEY - In Brief 25 Nov 2021 by Atilla Yesilada

The massive depreciation and volatility of TL seem to have caused new supply bottlenecks in the economy, as well as triggering a steady flow of price hikes. Turks seem to have finally gotten tired of the high cost of living, with first wild-cat protests springing up Tuesday night. Slightly larger protests and more than 50 detentions were reported Wednesday night, as turmoil spread to 10 provinces. The opposition responded to the earthquake in the currency by demanding immediate elections, leaking to the press that some member parties are concerned about declaration of Emergency Law (EL). Early election chatter is swelling swiftly in social media, but an AKP rep claims AKP and MHP reached agreement on amendments to the Electoral Law, which if legislatedconstitutesstrong reason not to expect elections before end-2022. Before I start my tentative analysis of these development, I want to emphasize emphatically two new features of Turkish politics, which shall guide us in the months to come. First, events of importance will transpire faster than anticipated. Turkey has reached the take-off stage of political turmoil. Secondly, expect the unexpected. Reasonable people may disagree on President Erdogan’s mental health status, but there is strong observed evidence that he is committed to the new economic experiment. In fact, pro-AKP Yeni Safak reported today that he told his lieutenants to expect the experiment to yield first results “in 3-4 months”. Social unrest is currently limited to small groups of a few hundred (mostly young) people per demonstration, but honking horns and apartment residents lending moral support by banging pots and pans is eerily reminiscent of Gezi up...

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