Tremors in Turkey shake Turkish President Erdogan's future political plans

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's political future stands bleak for the first time in 20 years as he faces major challenges following the earthquakes that rocked the country last Monday. The earthquake lead to mass devastation in south-eastern Turkey and a part of Syria with the current death toll standing at 34,000, reported CNN. The earthquake has left a huge but unknown number of persons missing and tens of thousands wounded.

Erdogan's bid to mend his political future 

The horrific natural disaster has become a new challenge for Turkish President Erdogan's election plans. He must now prove that he is a leader who can get things done and mobilize the state effectively to provide relief to the earthquake survivors and rebuild their homes and their lives.

"Such things always happened. It's part of destiny's plan," said President Erdogan in order to calm the victims. 

He not only promised immediate monetary aid to each homeless family but also said that within a year, the Housing Ministry would build new homes for everyone who became homeless from the earthquake. The Turkish President also acknowledged the lapse in the response of the rescue team to the victims and announced that "those responsible for the failures will be called to account."

However, it is to note that many Turks have been angry with the government after the destructive earthquake of 1999 (which killed about 17,000 people). A legislation was formulated that all new buildings must comply with strict seismic building codes. However, the recent situation of devastation has exposed the truth that many contractors had been using inferior materials to construct unsafe buildings, ignoring the relevant specifications.

Further, Erdogan's government has announced that it would take action against individuals who have been engaged in looting and other criminal activities in the region affected by the earthquakes. Apart from that, there have been 113 arrest warrants which are issued in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed, including contractors and architects, and 12 persons are already in custody, as per local media reports. These actions have been understood as "a desperate attempt", argued several Turkish people. 

(With agency inputs)