Turkish Interior Minister threatens people with chaos in case of poll defeat

"If we show weakness on the evening of local elections of March 31, the opposition would arm 6-year-old children with stones, and they would dishonor the governors,’’ Turkey’s Interior Minister threatened people with the emergence of terror atmosphere in the country in case of AKP’s poll defeat
Wednesday, 06 March 2019 13:48

Süleyman Soylu, the Interior Minister of Turkey, addressed the citizens in Istanbul’s Ayazağa Square as part of the electoral campaigns for the local elections to be held on March 31, 2019.

Warning the Justice and Development Party (AKP) voters to not to show weakness on the evening of forthcoming local elections, Soylu stated, "We are now in the process of local elections to be held on March 31. Some people criticize me, saying ‘You are the Interior Minister, why are you talking in the electoral campaigns?’ Yes, I am the Interior Minister of this country, and therefore, the local elections of March 31 are of interest to us most."

"God forbid! If we lose the stability in fighting against drugs, burglary, organized crime syndicates in the country after the local elections, they [the opposition groups] would raise difficulties to us," Soylu claimed.

Stating that if the AKP shows any weakness on the evening of local elections of March 31, the opposition would arm 6-year-old children with stones, and they would dishonor the governors, Turkish Interior Minister said, "They [anti-government groups] have no conscience. They are depraved. They are the ones who make efforts for an internal disorder in the country."

In an interview with Islamist Akit TV ahead of the elections of June 24, 2018, pro-government figure Ahmet Maranki had threatened people with an armed uprising if the ruling AKP and its presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lose the polls on June 24.

Maranki had claimed that they buried their weapons stash in Belgrade Forest in İstanbul, and that they would take to the streets if their expectations failed at the polls.