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AKP accused of cooking books before elections

Critics are claiming Turkey's ruling party has manipulated financial figures to paint a rosy economic picture ahead of the Nov. 1 snap elections.
People stroll at a shopping mall in Istanbul October 10, 2011. In a country where per capita incomes are up 40 percent since 2001, consumer's hunger for goods and services is explosive. The $735 billion economy grew 8.8 percent in the second quarter of 2011, faster than India?s and more than four times the pace of the euro zone. Loans, corporate profits and sales of cars and electronics are still rising at double-digit clips. Picture taken October 10, 2011. To  match Analysis TURKEY-STOCKS/ REUTERS/Murad Se

Recently released financial data is rekindling accusations that the government fudges numbers to make itself look good.

Government critics are pointing to apparent discrepancies between the 2014 Income and Living Conditions Research report issued last month by the Statistical Agency of Turkey (TUIK) and economic data used in the Ministry of Development's 2016-18 Medium-Term Program. 

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