Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits different households during the holy month of Ramadan. This year, the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) special focus is on the youth, as the youth vote for the AKP has been on a steady decline. 

AKP officials have been organizing fast-breaking iftar and suhoor (the meal before sunrise) gatherings with various youth groups. Since 2016, Erdogan has advised AKP officials to refrain from attending extravagant gatherings during Ramadan. This year, ruling party heavyweights publicly warned its members to avoid joining lavish iftar and suhoor meals through a memorandum amid the country’s staggering economic turmoil. 

Yet a suhoor gathering held on April 7 in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeastern city of Agri set off a public uproar. Agri, which lies along the Turkish border of Iran, is known as one of the poorest cities in Turkey. 

The suhoor gathering in Agri organized by the AKP youth branch has gone viral after Halil Ibrahim Selcuk, head of AKP’s youth branch in Agri, posted a video of the gathering on social media.