Turkish opposition leader says the government has lost legitimacy

Turkey’s main opposition leader has raised the pressure on the government over the massive graft probe in which ministers’ sons have been arrested, claiming that the government has lost its legitimacy since the prime minister is protecting the figures who are involved in corruption.

“The government has lost its legitimacy; it cannot rule Turkey any more. No prime minister throughout the history of the Turkish Republic has defended the corruption before. We are witnessing that the Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] is defending the graft and grafters. That’s why, the government has no legitimacy and it has become a lame duck,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Dec. 22 at the opening of a party meeting.