Turkey's main opposition leader pledges ‘zero poverty’ in Edirne rally

EDİRNE

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the head of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), pledged to end poverty at his party’s rally in the Western border city of Edirne on April 26.There will be zero poverty in four years, Kılıçdaroğlu claimed, adding, “Thirteen years ago they promised to fight poverty, corruption and bans. When the year is 2015, there are 6,200,000 people unemployed in the country. None of the children of those who made these promises are unemployed now.”Kılıçdaroğlu also said there were 17 million people earning less than 200 Turkish Liras monthly and 8 million retirees with salaries less than 1,000 liras. He also reminded the crowd of the shopkeepers and craftsmen who were turned back at hospitals because of their unpaid premiums.“Hundreds of thousands of workers lack social security. There are one million citizens at the edge of starvation. The business world is intimidated to speak up. The media is not free,” he said.The CHP would bring first class democracy to Turkey, Kılıçdaroğlu claimed.“Whatever exists in Germany, France or Japan; whichever democratic principles these countries have brought for their own people, we will bring the same to Turkey. We will not interfere with anybody’s lifestyle. We will not question anybody’s identity and belief,” he added.