Turkish president unveils election manifesto

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s manifesto ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking in the capital Ankara, Erdogan, also AK Party’s chairman, unveiled a 23-point election manifesto, which firstly focuses on the steps to heal the wounds of Feb. 6 earthquakes victims in southern Türkiye.

"Every attack, every disaster, every pain we experience, especially the earthquakes of Feb. 6, shows that we need to tighten our unity, protect our unity more, and strengthen our brotherhood even more," Erdogan said.

Vowing soon to erase the traces of the earthquakes, which claimed more than 50,000 lives, Erdogan said Türkiye will rebuild the cities across 11 provinces.

"We will completely heal the wounds caused by the disaster in 11 provinces and their neighboring cities by building a total of 650,000 new houses, 319,000 of which will be delivered in one year," he added.

Pledging to raise Türkiye in the upcoming period, Erdogan said: "Türkiye has no choice but to be strong, stay strong, and increase its power in order not to fall back into the pit of political and economic bondage."

The manifesto also includes the areas of economy, environment, family, justice, and freedoms.

Turning to the economy, Erdogan said Türkiye aims to bring inflation down to single digits, adding: "We will increase the welfare level of our employees, from civil servants to retirees and workers, by always increasing their wages above inflation."

Türkiye will continue with investment, production, and exports until reaching the goal of bringing its foreign trade volume to $1 trillion.