Turkey: Opposition leaders say they refuse to pay electricity bills. Turkey has recently raised energy prices, in response to which Kirida Oru, the leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party, said until the president

Turkey: Opposition leaders say they refuse to pay electricity bills.

In response to Turkey's recent increase in energy prices, Kirida Olu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party, said he would "not pay his electricity bill" until President Erdogan reversed his policy of raising prices.

According to Reuters, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan implemented an unorthodox policy of low interest rates at the end of last year, triggering a devaluation in the lira, and Turkey's inflation rate soared to nearly 50% in January this year, making the local people's living expenses rise again.

As a result, the Turkish government raised the minimum wage by 50 per cent, although in view of fluctuations in import prices, it raised the cost of gas, electricity, gasoline and road traffic; among them, Turkey's commercial electricity bill was raised by 125% in early January this year, and household electricity bill was increased by 50%.

In response, Kirida Oru, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, complained, "From today on, I will not pay any electricity bills until Erdogan revokes the price increase agreement he signed at the end of December last year." Kirida Oro also uploaded a video on Twitter calling for a reduction in the value-added tax on electricity bills from 18 percent to 1 percent.

Dag, vice chairman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK), noted that Kiridaoglu's move was a provocation, a destructive tactic that the opposition has used for years. He said the government was working to address public concerns about rising energy prices, and he stressed that rising energy prices were affected by global developments.