Poverty levels in Turkey have reached unprecedent levels, according to a report by Al-Monitor on 27 January 2021. The most recent figure from 2019 stands at 21%, but it is probable that this has risen sharply since then. The crisis surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a spike in unemployment, with unofficial statistics suggesting that as many as 40% of the labor force may be out of work.
Michael Bosch, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "The rise in both poverty and unemployment is mainly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are also other reasons. For example, most tax revenue comes from the low and middle-income classes, with high taxes being imposed on such basic products as food. The government claims to have paid out 46 billion lira (USD 6.2 billion) in welfare assistance to alleviate the effects of the current crisis (
Al-Monitor, 4 February 2021). In comparison, however, military spending rose to 273 billion lira (USD 38.6 billion) in 2020, the equivalent of more than 25% of the Turkish national budget (
Ahval News, 2 September 2020). So it seems that investment in Turkey"s military operations abroad (in Syria and Libya, among other countries) is increasingly having priority over the population"s welfare back home."
Michael Bosch continues: "The above figures are part of the reason why the protests against the appointment of the state-approved rector at Bo?aziĤi University have persisted (
The Guardian, 4 February 2021). Turkey"s most prestigious university was probably the last place of academic freedom in Turkey until President Erdogan decided to intervene with this appointment. However, widespread demonstrations by both university staff and students erupted, with others following suit. The president has called the demonstrators "˜terrorists" and "˜LGBT youth", insults which indicate the widening gap between the values of Turkey"s younger generation and the AKP"s conservative-nationalistic rhetoric. The president"s appointment is probably intended as a clever preparation for the 2023 elections, when no less than 5 million new young voters will be added to the electorate, which could create a big shift in election results. However, with almost all media under state control and almost all government positions filled with AKP-loyalists, it will be increasingly difficult for anyone to challenge President Erdogan. If he succeeds in imposing full dictatorship, the Christian community is also likely to face much higher levels of pressure."
