There is an economic crisis in Turkey and poverty and unemployment are particularly widespread in the province of Van. Yesterday marked the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and, as every year, the markets were full of people wanting to shop for Eid today. However, many of them go home empty-handed because the prices for food are simply too high. ANF talked to traders and buyers at the market. Some of them said that head of state Erdogan is the reason for the economic crisis. They stated that the elections in Turkey on 14 May are an opportunity to get rid of him and his AKP party.

Trader Mehmet Ali Aslan from Van believes that people cannot shop for Eid because of the AKP's war policy. There is a border crossing with Iran in the district of Özalp, but the people of Van are forbidden to trade at the border, said Aslan: "We are told that the customs border has been opened for us. When we go there, we can only buy three packets of cigarettes, one packet of tea and one kilo of dates. The Iranians, on the other hand, shop in Van and take things in trucks. Erdogan and the AKP have opened the customs border only for people from Iran, but not for us. What we buy there is then taken away from us. I pay 150 liras for the journey, and 150 liras in fees. That alone costs me 300 liras, and I don't get that back by selling the imported goods. Why do Iranians have more rights than we do? Today is a holiday and there are people everywhere, but nobody buys anything. The economy keeps going down the drain, so it doesn't help if someone buys a kilo of onions or potatoes."  

Mahmut Kurt, who went to the market to shop, said that disaster will strike if the current government is not voted out: "It's a holiday and we can't buy anything at all. We used to buy all kinds of things for the holidays. We could give our children a treat. Now I don't even want to go home because I can't bring anything. We can no longer provide properly for our children, and we are really in a bad situation. In the upcoming elections, we can stop this. If he is elected one more time, it will mean disaster. Everything is expensive, people can't buy anything. The crisis is happening in all sectors. If it goes on like this, the poor will die of hunger. This must finally be stopped. Something must be done. We have to wake up, enough is enough."

The greengrocer Nurettin Taş agrees with him and points to a bunch of onions: "This bunch of onions costs six liras to buy. If I don't sell it for seven and a half liras, I don't make a profit. But it is too expensive for people. They don't buy anything because the price is too high for them. Life has become very difficult."