Turkish Prime Minister Defies Scandal: Twitter Blocked In Turkey

Amidst the allegations of graft against the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, speculations are surging up regarding the performance of Erdogan’s AKP Party in the imminent local elections.  Demonstrators have taken onto streets to protest against him and his party calling for his resignation.

Erdogan disposes the allegations as an attempt to destroy him by his political enemies at home and abroad calling the recordings as “fabrication”. The controversial recordings posted on You Tube by an anonymous poster, appeared within days of the ruling AK party’s official launch of a campaign for local elections on March 30. Erdogan had also vowed to “wipe out twitter” following damaging allegations of corruption in his inner circle. The twitter website is currently blocked in Turkey.

The polls will be the first concrete test of Erdogan’s popularity since anti-government protests took place in a few cities last summer and an alleged corruption charge erupted in mid-December.  The race for Ankara is set to be among the closest, with some opinion polls predicting an AK Party loss, potentially a major embarrassment for Erdogan.

Infoeditor