Earthquake in Turkey: For President Erdogan, it is about more than quick help

The earthquake in Turkey is a human tragedy. But the catastrophe is also politically explosive. If President Erdogan doesn’t get the situation under control quickly, it could cost him power in the upcoming elections.

By Jonas Breng and Daniel Thorpe

It was the middle of the night when the nightmare began. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was probably still in bed when the terrible news of the worst earthquake in decades reached him. At four in the morning, a 7.8 magnitude tremor shook the border region between Turkey and Syria. Due to the strength of the quake, the President and his advisers should have had an idea of ​​the extent of the disaster during the night.

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