The leader of the Turkish opposition party, the Republican People's Party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, announced that Turkish President Erdoğan "lives in isolation from the people and knows nothing about their concerns," describing the current system of government as "Pharaonic" and vowing to end it.
Kılıçdaroğlu expressed astonishment at President Erdoğan's statements, in which he claimed that there are no businesses closing in Turkey, questioning, "How does Erdoğan run Turkey?" according to the "Russia Today" website. The opposition leader explained that "Erdoğan makes such statements because he views people from within his palace; to him, everything is open, he has golden toilets, he has everything beautiful."
Kılıçdaroğlu continued, "According to official media data tracking the performance of merchants and craftsmen, at least 99,588 merchants closed their businesses in 2020, meaning that 273 merchants go bankrupt every day. How did Erdoğan say there are no closed businesses in Turkey? A person like him cannot manage the state; a person who does not understand the concerns of his people cannot govern Turkey."
He questioned, "Is Erdoğan aware of all this?" then stated, "He has no knowledge." The Turkish opposition accuses Erdoğan's regime of corruption, suppressing freedoms, and involving Turkey in regional and international conflicts to cover up internal crises, while Erdoğan accuses his opponents of terrorism, often implying their support or affiliation with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party or their backing of his former ally, Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of orchestrating the failed coup against him in mid-2016.
