The people of Türkiye will do what is necessary on May 14, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday, all but confirming the date for Türkiye’s much-anticipated elections in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that claimed over 45,000 lives. Addressing his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting in Parliament in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan hit back at his opposition "for failing to address the needs and pain of the people" and said his administration’s priority was on earthquake recovery for now. His remarks followed a slew of accusations from his opposition who claimed Erdoğan’s government had been "late" in responding to the disaster on Feb. 6, and "ill-prepared" ahead of the tremors. "Our nation will not favor those liars," he said.

"We are removing the rubble, we are healing the wounds. We are winning the hearts and will give our people a new future," he said. Erdoğan said he did not respond to the opposition's allegations because the government was occupied with helping people ever since the earthquakes occurred, while the opposition was concerned about its own interests. "Our only agenda now is the earthquake, the suffering it caused and recovery from the disaster," he stated. The president censured the opposition parties for "chasing political clout" after the catastrophe while the people have been "fighting for their lives." "We leave those who haven’t found the time to care for our people’s troubles while quarreling over (presidential) candidacy to their shallow world," he said. Erdoğan listed the search and rescue operations and recovery efforts that were deployed in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, saying, "The state has been on the ground since the first hour."

Following the earthquakes, a debate started on the postponement of elections but the opposition parties have announced that the vote should go ahead as planned on May 14. An official from the AK Party dismissed the idea of postponing the elections in statements on Monday. A delegation from the Supreme Election Board (YSK) left for earthquake-hit areas on Monday to examine whether a secure election is possible in the region. They will also look into possibly setting up polling stations at "tent and container cities" where earthquake survivors are currently accommodated.

The elections are expected to be a tight race according to the opposition alliance while some polls show Erdoğan's clear lead against the six-party alliance, commonly dubbed the "table for six." The alliance announced earlier this week they would name their much-anticipated candidate for the upcoming elections on Thursday.

The alliance has been delaying settling on a candidate for the past year since the election atmosphere has gripped Türkiye. They were scheduled to reveal their nominee on Feb. 13, a date announced before the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye’s south. The deadly catastrophe upended the country’s agenda and politicians are now focused on mobilization for earthquake victims.

The IP trails closely behind the Republican People's Party (CHP) in election polls and the two parties are the strongest in the alliance. IP Chair Meral Akşener and CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu met on Monday ahead of Thursday's meeting for what the media has called "a bargaining for a candidate." The two parties have been at odds on several issues and Akşener has not refrained from criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu for failing to show up in solidarity with CHP’s Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu after the latter was sentenced by a court in an insult case.

The parties’ consistent objections to urban transformation, an ambitious project by the AK Party to renew, rebuild or replace decrepit buildings that cannot endure major earthquakes like disasters, have also come to the foreground after the Feb. 6 catastrophe. The CHP, being the most vocal opponent, has also filed lawsuits to halt renewal projects across several provinces. Erdoğan on Wednesday reiterated their determination to continue the project, with a particular focus in the affected regions. "With a project that cannot be prevented by personal ambitions, we will swiftly handle this business," he told the assembly. "Earthquakes don’t wait for anyone’s pleasure on inadequacy. We will make our country prepared against disasters as soon as possible."

Risk shield against quakes

The president also announced preemptive action for future disasters like those in February and said they were planning to establish a "National Risk Shield Model" to make cities more resistant to earthquakes. He noted that the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change will coordinate the efforts with the first meeting for this model to be held on Friday. "We are determining primary areas at risk of earthquake, (natural disasters), mining accidents and forest fires. Scientists and experts from around Türkiye and abroad will convene to (plan those steps)," Erdoğan said.

Most of Türkiye is located on the Anatolian tectonic plate, which sits between two major plates, the Eurasian and African, and a minor one, the Arabian. As the larger African and Arabian plates shift Türkiye is being literally squeezed, while the Eurasian plate impedes any northward movement. Thus, Türkiye sits on several fault lines.

On recovery efforts, Erdoğan said they were establishing a disaster rebuilding fund for swift rebuilding in affected provinces. "This transparent fund will provide resources in the long run for such disasters and will alleviate the disasters' burden on the general budget of the country," Erdoğan said. He noted that they took a series of economic steps to reduce the financial burden on earthquake victims, from postponement of their debts to allocation of immediate cash aid to households in need.