President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday visited southeastern Hatay province, which was hit hard by February’s deadly earthquakes, to open the Defne State Hospital and meet with quake victims.

Speaking at a container city in Hatay, Erdoğan criticized the opposition for their stance toward victims of the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes that ripped through 11 provinces, in Türkiye’s southeast, killing over 50,000 people, toppling hundreds of thousands of buildings and devastating the region’s infrastructure.

"We do not blame our people like the CHP leader and his followers. We don’t insult anyone for their preferences," the president declared. "And discriminating against our brothers and sisters who lost their loved ones in the earthquakes would not even cross our minds."

Supporters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) led Nation Alliance sent insulting and threatening messages targeting voters in earthquake-hit provinces for voting in favor of Erdoğan in last Sunday’s landmark presidential and parliamentary elections.

Nine out of 11 provinces hit by the deadly disaster voted for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Main opposition CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu won 71% of the vote share in Diyarbakır and 48.1% in Hatay province. Erdoğan’s People’s Alliance won a majority in Parliament, while the presidential race is headed to a second round on May 28.

No candidate won an outright majority in the first round held on May 14, although Erdoğan was leading. He will face Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition CHP and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, in the runoff vote.

Thanking Hatay for the support the city residents have shown for his person and the People’s Alliance, Erdoğan praised the city for "protecting your future and willpower."

"We will continue questioning ourselves instead of blaming the voters and working to amend whatever mistake we have made," he added, a veiled reference to criticism of his government for a slow response in the aftermath of the disaster, which he assured was quickly brought under control.

Erdoğan detailed government efforts since Feb. 6 to provide shelter and aid to the victims and revive the damaged infrastructure, particularly the construction of around 251,000 houses in Hatay, and vowed to "never leave the victims alone."

The Defne State Hospital is a 300-bed hospital whose foundations were laid on March 24 following the devastating earthquakes. The hospital has been completed in 60 days.

"Those who mocked us for trying to build a hospital in three months, what have you accomplished?" Erdoğan called out.

As for the discrepancy in voter support for himself and Kılıçdaroğlu in the Defne district, 8.5% for him and over 90% for Kılıçdaroğlu, Erdoğan said, "We don’t invest in Hatay because there’s a sectarian difference. I am the president of this country and we have ordered (this investment) because there are people who live here. We have never discriminated and we never will."