EDIRNE, Turkey
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected claims of graft laid against the AKP, saying a ruling party increasing the GDP of Turkey from US$230 billion to US$820 billion cannot be engaged in corruption at the same time.
Speaking in the northwestern city of Edirne as part of his local election rally on Wednesday, Erdogan slammed the allegations of corruption against his Justice and Development Party government by elaborating on the development Turkey recorded during his term of office.
Touching upon projects from security to infrastructure, Erdogan said that the promises given by the opposition parties were groundless as they could not record any development in municipalities where they ruled.
"When we came to power, the government we took over from the coalition of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Democratic Left Party (DSP), a party close to [the main opposition] Republican People's Party, was indebted to the IMF by around US$23.5 billion. We have paid all the debt and even the IMF asked us to give credits to it," said Erdogan.
Stating that the the main opposition party had objected to all of the projects of the government including that of the Marmaray rail project in Istanbul, the third bridge over the Bosphorus Strait and the third airport in Istanbul.
"We promised to fight corruption, bans on personal rights and poverty and we achieved it - despite CHP's objections," he added.
Accusing the Gulen movement led by US-based scholar Fethullah Gulen of collecting unreceipted money from people, Erdogan said that the movement would account for it.
Erdogan also said that a new era would start if they come out of the elections with the rate of approval he expected.
The main opposition CHP won the previous local elections in Edirne, and Erdogan asked the people of the city to vote for his AK Party in the upcoming local polls.
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