ISTANBUL, Turkey – A wave of protests has spread across Turkey over whopping electricity price hikes last month as millions struggle to pay the ballooning bills and many businesses face the threat of going broke amid already galloping inflation.

The hikes of up to 127 percent came atop other sharp price increases, aggravating the economic woes of ordinary citizens and businesses alike. Annual consumer inflation hit a two-decade high of 48.7 percent in January, while producer inflation climbed to 93.5 percent. With its poll numbers already sagging ahead of elections next year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has come under growing pressure to review the electricity hikes. 

Small shopkeepers have been at the forefront of the outcry, posting their electricity bills on shop windows and dimming their lights in the evenings in protest. Many complain that electricity bills now outstrip their rents. A growing number of cafes and restaurants have pulled the plug on outdoor heaters — in high demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic — or begun to charge clients for their use. 

In Besiktas, a downtown Istanbul district, the owner of a tiny but long-established teashop lamented that his electricity bill had jumped to some 500 Turkish liras ($37) from 105 Turkish liras (about $8) the month before. The 65-year-old, who introduced himself only as Kemal, said his business was already reeling from pandemic lockdowns and now his daily profit was often as low as 30 liras. “I have to work 20 days to cover the electricity bill alone,” he told Al-Monitor.