President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have extended his period at the helm of Turkish politics into a third decade but the country is arguably facing its most difficult period yet.
Mr Erdogan faces criticism from his detractors for increased repression, consolidation of power and poor economic policy.
And it is the latter, Turkey's dire financial situation, that often comes up as one of the key problems that Turkish people face on a daily basis.
“I'm feeling terrible about the future because the economy and living conditions are harsh,” said Orhan Baskin, 60.
“I am 18 years old, I can’t buy a phone. How can I be happy with this system?” said Layla Karan in Istanbul, after Mr Erdogan won the election on Sunday night.
Inflation is rampant, while the Turkish lira has plummeted in value against the US dollar. The lira has weakened to 20.077 to the dollar, breaking through the previous record low touched last Friday.
“I congratulate him, I hope this will bring peace to all people of Turkey,” said 69-year-old Sharban Direk, while drinking tea at a cafe on Monday morning
“He needs to be focused on peace, security and the economy. He has to take more steps to lift the weight off peoples' shoulders.”
Mr Direk said it was vital that Turkey's large – and expanding – young population is supported.
"There are lots of young people that can’t find a job. The government has to take the necessary steps to support them and give them a future.”
Sharban Direk,
Erdogan supporter
“There are lots of young people that can’t find a job. The government has to take the necessary steps to support them and give them a future.”
The lira has lost more than half of its value in two years and traded at the record low despite major state interventions aimed at averting politically-sensitive declines before the final vote.
Official data showed the central bank burnt through $25 billion in a month while trying to prop up the currency.
The President acknowledged in his victory speech that inflation was his most pressing issue, while insisting it would fall. “We are designing an economy focused on investment and employment, with a finance management team which has an international reputation,” he said.
The poor economic situation has been blamed by some on Mr Erdogan's unorthodox economic policies. For years, the President has insisted on keeping interest rates low in what he says is an attempt to bring inflation down, despite evidence to the contrary.
During the presidential campaign, opposition figures frequently cited increased authoritarianism, corruption and lack of equality as reasons not to vote for Mr Erdogan.
“I’m unhappy. I hope the President will treat all citizens equally. In reality he won’t treat us as equals,” said Mr Baskin.
Mr Erdogan's supporters believe he can drag Turkey out of its economic woes, something his detractors ridicule.
“I don’t think they can fix the economy, they were the ones who brought it down. They couldn't make the economy work in 20 years, how can you be hopeful that it will happen in the next five years?” said Nilgun, 65.
“I am feeling terrible. I am a republican secular women and I woke up to a nightmare. My only expectations from the ruling party is to treat all Turkish people as equals.”
Mr Erdogan is dealing with a delicate situation in Syria both with the government of Damascus and approximately 3.4 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.
Turkey backed the Syrian rebels with arms in the 12-year civil war against the Syrian government. Mr Erdogan has slowly sought to mend ties with President Bashar Al Assad's administration but progress has been slow.
Turkey wants Syrians to return home, but Mr Erdogan and his main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), pitched different ways to solve the situation.
In what was seen as a bid to court voters from the far right, Mr Kilicdaroglu pledged to expel Syrians from Turkey. Mr Erdogan advocated a softer approach, proposing voluntary returns to Turkish-built housing units in northern Syria.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
