COVID-19 determines end of Erdogan’s political career

Mahmoud Al-Batakouchi

The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), which hit the world without mercy, has shaken the thrones of many presidents and rulers, and as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We are entering a new era, one in which we are likely to see radical changes in the global economic, political, and social order.”

The Turkish President is right this time; the world and people will not remain the same before the COVID-19 outbreak, therefore, Erdogan’s failure to contain the crisis and manage his country has put his regime at risk.

The COVID-19 crisis is likely to lead to ousting the regime in Turkey after citizens tested the Erdogan’s false allegations that the situation in Turkey is under control, but the reality contradicts these lies completely, as the speed of the disease increases the risk of injury to millions of Turks, due to Erdogan’s fear of the collapse of his exhausted economy.

COVID-19 is threatening around 10 million Turkish citizens of losing their jobs across all sectors, especially real estate and construction, in addition to 4.5 million unemployed citizens, which puts the regime under much pressure and increases public anger.

In addition, the agricultural and livestock sector is damaged, with a possibility of interruption in production, which threatens a real catastrophe, especially that Turkey might be exposed to a real famine in several months.

Foreign exchange reserves in the Turkish Central Bank plunged more than 7 billion dollars during the past week, falling to $65.14 billion by March 20, compared to $72.47 billion a week earlier.

Erdogan’s management of the COVID-19 crisis sparked the discontent of Turkish citizens, as he contented himself with adopting the conspiracy theory, claiming that the coronavirus is a mere tool of biological warfare that was developed by the Zionists in cooperation with the Fethullah Gülen movement, in order to spread the virus among the Turkish society.

Erdogan and his followers used similar terms when Turkey faced a shortage of basic foodstuffs during the recent economic recession and held the conspirators responsible for the crisis.

Moreover, Erdogan’s disappearance during the crisis reduced a lot of his reputation, as he assigned his Health Minister Fahrettin Koca to address the public about the COVID-19 status in the country.

What is certain is that Erdogan’s political career is about to end very soon, not only because of the consequences of COVID-19, but also because of his losses in Syria and Libya, and his continued interventions in the region to build his alleged caliphate through a group of terrorist elements and the Muslim Brotherhood.