Turkey's opposition leader loses power over unpaid bills

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey's main opposition leader said Thursday that his power supply had been cut after he stopped paying electricity bills in protest at utility bill hikes that he blamed squarely on the president.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) has seized on Turkey's economic travails to try and mount a serious challenge to veteran leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections due by June 2023.

The 73-year-old former civil servant announced in February that he would stop paying "inflated" bills that had shot up by at least half for most households as a result of inflation and a sharp currency depreciation.

Economists link Turkey's social problems to an unconventional economic approach by Erodgan that has turned the once-promising emerging market into a no-go zone for most foreign investors.

The Turkish leader has pushed the central bank to sharply cut interest rates in order to bring down soaring consumer prices -- the exact opposite of what policymakers usually do in similar situations.

Turkey's official annual inflation reading has soared to more than 60 percent as a result.

Some of those increases are linked to a lira collapse that has made imports such as oil and gas much more expensive.

Kilicdaroglu announced on Twitter on Thursday that he now had no lights on at home.

"I just got news from my wife -- they cut off our electricity today," Kilicdaroglu said in a video message recorded from his well-lit office.

"My actions are not a call to civil disobedience," he added. "My actions are meant to represent the voice of families and children of a country that has been left in the dark."

Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted party have accused Kilicdaroglu of trying to stir up street protests and social unrest by refusing to pay his bills.

Next year's general election is turning into one of the most serious challenges yet to Erdogan's dominant 20-year rule.

The 68-year-old leader has seen his once overwhelming support perilously shrink in the past year.

Russia's assault on Ukraine has shifted some of the focus away from Turkey's economic travails and onto Erdogan's efforts to try and mediate an end to the brutal conflict.

Turkey's chilly relations with Washington have also improved as a result.

But opinion polls -- while not always trustworthy in Turkey -- still show Erdogan trailing most potential presidential challengers.

- Erodgan sues -

Kilicdaroglu's once-stagnant presidential campaign came to life during a winter wave of protests by ordinary Turks who complained of no longer being able to afford everyday staples.

He staged impromptu press conferences outside government buildings and claimed that ministers were either ignoring or underreporting the scale of Turkey's problems.

His rival's efforts appear to have had some effect on the Turkish leader.

Erdogan's lawyer filed a complaint with an Ankara court on Wednesday demanding one million liras ($70,000) in compensation for damages to the president's "personal rights" caused by Kilicdaroglu's accusations.

But the opposition leader appears unbowed.

His party has unleashed a virulent social media campaign poking fun at the ruling party.

It published a video Thursday of masked utility workers switching off the power supply to his Ankara apartment.

"Four million families have had their power supply cut off, and we wanted to stand in solidarity with them," Kilicdaroglu's wife Selvi told reporters with a smile on Thursday.

by Dmitry Zaks

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