Turkish opposition leader calls on state employees to stop supporting unlawful orders and Erdogan hit back
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back at the opposition for urging bureaucrats to disobey “unlawful orders” from the government, calling such comments a “crime.”
“Urging the bureaucrats to oppose the elected government is nothing short of wishing for a regime of tutelage,” Erdogan said at a press conference Sunday, responding to a video message by leader Republican People’s Party Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
In that message, shared on Twitter Saturday, Kilicdaroglu had said officials must refuse to carry out what he called “unlawful orders.”
“All bureaucrats who support this government’s illegal demands will be held responsible once power changes hands,” he had said. “I urge you to stop supporting unlawful orders, starting from Monday.”
The president must “respect the central bank’s institutional identity” and leave interest-rate decisions to “qualified people, Kilicdaroglu had said after his visit.
Kilicdaroglu met central bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu on Friday after the dismissals of three officials at the bank sparked a currency rout.
The lira has weakened for six consecutive days to a record low amid concern that government influence will force policy makers to keep interest rates too low to contain inflation.
