Former chairman of the Turkish parliament and former deputy prime minister in Erdogan’s administration, Bulent Aris, yesterday via Twitter demanded the postponement of the May 14 elections by six or 12 months, while at the same time putting forward a request for a constitutional amendment. , which provides for the postponement of elections for more than five years only in case of war. The veteran leader of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has proposed holding elections either next November or combined with local elections in 2024. This proposal provoked a strong reaction from the opposition.

203 hours in wreckage

In the southern Turkish city of Hatay yesterday, 203 hours after the devastating earthquake, a woman was pulled alive. Initial reports said it was a man, but Turkish media later said it was a woman. Earlier in the day, rescuers pulled three more people alive 198 hours after the quake. This is an 18-year-old man from the province of Antijaman and two brothers, aged 17 and 21, from the neighboring province of Kahramanmaras. All of them were taken to the hospital, their state of health remains unknown. Many rescue teams are now ceasing their efforts as weather conditions are often unfavorable and the chances of finding survivors are now virtually nil.

Accommodation from IKEA

With the number of homeless and displaced people numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and with temperatures often reaching freezing in affected areas, the need for temporary shelters, blankets and other protection from the cold has become vital. In many areas, people have camped in stadiums, open parking lots and mosques, or are living in their cars. In northern Syria, even conventional medicines and baby milk are in short supply. The IKEA Foundation has sent 5,000 collapsible shelters to southern Turkey and northern Syria to house people left homeless as companies around the world pledge to help. The philanthropic arm of the Swedish multinational home improvement company said on Tuesday it had donated €10 million to the NGO Better Shelter, with which it developed the 17.5-square-meter durable, award-winning shelters. which fit in two boxes and can be assembled without tools.

Support from Israel

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said yesterday that his country will continue direct flights to Turkey, indicating a further improvement in relations between the two countries. With this change, the foreign minister estimates that at least a million Israelis will visit Turkey in 2023, boosting its economy. Israel has suspended direct flights to Turkey for more than 10 years until 2022 due to deteriorating relations between the two countries. The first flight in this context leaves tomorrow, as Cohen told reporters during his “solidarity visit” to Turkey. From the first days after the deadly earthquake, which was also felt in Israel, the country sent humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Turkey.