CHP report exposes Turkey's high poverty levels

Following revelations that the Turkish government has profiled the entire population, the main opposition responds by “profiling” alarming poverty among the masses.
A Syrian refugee boy pauses as he carries his sister to their house in Hacibayram district of Ankara November 21, 2014. Syrian refugees across the Middle East, some in exile for a fourth winter, face freezing temperatures, hunger and increasing hostility from locals as governments struggle to cope with the humanitarian crisis. Lebanon and Jordan are tightening their borders to stem the flow of those trying to escape whilst in Turkey, widely praised for hosting around half Syria's estimated 3.2 million refug
A Syrian refugee boy pauses as he carries his sister to their house in Hacibayram district of Ankara, Nov. 21, 2014. - REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Tulay Cetingulec.jpg
Tulay Cetingulec
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Ahead of every election in Turkey, political parties make myriad promises to the jobless and the poor, pledging social benefits for low-income families and retirees and housing projects for the homeless. The promises are typically forgotten after a government is formed and then everything goes about as usual. Ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections, however, two issues appear bound to persist and keep fueling debate:

  • It has emerged that the authorities have secretly profiled all of Turkey’s 77 million citizens, with all sorts of personal information included.
  • The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has come up with an alternative “profiling” that draws up a comprehensive picture of poverty in Turkey.

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