IRGC General Renews Threats to Israel

Second Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif
Second Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif
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IRGC General Renews Threats to Israel

Second Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif
Second Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif

The recent assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist was carried out remotely with the help of satellite guidance, artificial intelligence, and facial recognition, according to Iranian military officials cited by Iranian media on Sunday.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, believed to be the mastermind of Iran's controversial nuclear program, was traveling by car east of Tehran when he was shot dead on the afternoon of Friday, November 27. There are conflicting reports on how the attack unfolded, but most Iranian accounts agree that it was a sophisticated attack with gunfire and an explosion.

The killing deployed an "advanced electronic tool" guided by a "satellite device," according to Second Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif, spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as reported by Iran's semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).

In response to the assassination, Sharif said: “The Zionists know very well that their actions will not go unanswered.

"In the past years it has been proved that their actions will not go unanswered.”

The Zionist Regime does all its efforts to prevent the Islamic Word from attaining scientific achievements, he said, adding: “Today, however, under the light of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has achieved independence in all fields of politics, science, the economy as well as military and defense issues.”



Ukraine Says Russian Drone, Missile Attacks Damage Power Facilities

A handout picture made available by the Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) visiting the 117th Seperate Territorial Defense Brigade during a working visit to the Sumy region, Ukraine, 27 March 2024 amid the Russian invasion. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT
A handout picture made available by the Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) visiting the 117th Seperate Territorial Defense Brigade during a working visit to the Sumy region, Ukraine, 27 March 2024 amid the Russian invasion. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT
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Ukraine Says Russian Drone, Missile Attacks Damage Power Facilities

A handout picture made available by the Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) visiting the 117th Seperate Territorial Defense Brigade during a working visit to the Sumy region, Ukraine, 27 March 2024 amid the Russian invasion. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT
A handout picture made available by the Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) visiting the 117th Seperate Territorial Defense Brigade during a working visit to the Sumy region, Ukraine, 27 March 2024 amid the Russian invasion. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT

Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine, power grid operator Ukrenergo said on Friday, in the latest barrage targeting the country's already damaged power infrastructure.
"During the night, the Russians struck again at energy facilities in a massive and combined attack," Ukrenergo said on the Telegram messaging app.
"Thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the central and western regions were damaged."
Regional officials said Russian forces had attacked infrastructure in the Kamianske district near the city of Dnipro. At least one person was wounded, they added.
Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko also said power facilities in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Cherkasy were attacked, Reuters reported.
"Electricity generation facilities were targeted by drones and missiles," Gelushchenko said on Facebook.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later said in a statement that energy facilities in six Ukrainian regions had been attacked. He said Ukraine needs more air defence systems to secure critical infrastructure and protect the population.
The Ukrainian military said its air force had destroyed 58 Russia-launched attack drones overnight from a total of 60, along with 26 of 39 missiles.
"The enemy launched a powerful missile and air strike against the fuel and energy sector of Ukraine, using various types of missiles and attack drones," the commander said.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Ukrainian television said explosions were heard in the regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi as well as the city of Dnipro as Russian cruise missiles were spotted in Ukrainian air space.
DTEK, NAFTOGAZ UNDER FIRE
The largest private power firm, DTEK, said its three thermal power plants had come under attack.
"The equipment was severely damaged," it said on Telegram. "After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage."
Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week that DTEK lost about half its capacity following Russian missile and drone attacks.
Ukrainian state-run Naftogaz oil and gas firm also said its facilities had come under attack on Friday morning.
"(Russian attacks) targeted Naftogaz Group's facilities, but there was no serious damage," it said in a statement, giving no more details.


Moderately Strong Quake Strikes Southern Greece

This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
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Moderately Strong Quake Strikes Southern Greece

This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 has struck southern Greece off the coast of the western Peloponnese. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which was also felt in the Greek capital and as far away as the southern island of Crete.
The quake struck Friday morning and was centered beneath the seabed near the Strofades islands, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south-southwest of the western city of Patras, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute.
Greece lies in a highly seismically active region and earthquakes are common. The vast majority cause no injuries and little to no damage.


An 8-year-old is Only Survivor in South Africa Bus Crash that Killed 45

A handout photo made available by the Limpopo Transport Department shows emergency services attending to the bus crash that killed 45 people in Limpopo province, South Africa, 28 March 2024 (issued 29 March 2024).  EPA/Tidimalo Chuene
A handout photo made available by the Limpopo Transport Department shows emergency services attending to the bus crash that killed 45 people in Limpopo province, South Africa, 28 March 2024 (issued 29 March 2024). EPA/Tidimalo Chuene
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An 8-year-old is Only Survivor in South Africa Bus Crash that Killed 45

A handout photo made available by the Limpopo Transport Department shows emergency services attending to the bus crash that killed 45 people in Limpopo province, South Africa, 28 March 2024 (issued 29 March 2024).  EPA/Tidimalo Chuene
A handout photo made available by the Limpopo Transport Department shows emergency services attending to the bus crash that killed 45 people in Limpopo province, South Africa, 28 March 2024 (issued 29 March 2024). EPA/Tidimalo Chuene

A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said. The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child.

Authorities in the northern province of Limpopo said the child was seriously injured and was receiving medical attention.

The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 meters (164 feet) into a ravine before busting into flames.

Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle.

Authorities said they believe the bus was traveling from the neighboring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage. They said it appeared that the driver lost control and was one of the dead.

Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga was in Limpopo province for a road safety campaign and changed plans to visit the crash scene, the national Department of Transport said. She said there was an investigation underway into the cause of the crash and offered her condolences to the families of the victims.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent his condolences to Botswana and pledged support to the country, his office said in a statement.


Russia's FM Says Ukraine Peace Plan is Pointless

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2024. Olga Maltseva/Pool via REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2024. Olga Maltseva/Pool via REUTERS
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Russia's FM Says Ukraine Peace Plan is Pointless

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2024. Olga Maltseva/Pool via REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2024. Olga Maltseva/Pool via REUTERS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview published on Friday, said Ukraine's proposed peace plan was pointless as it was based on unacceptable notions like Moscow's withdrawal from areas it has captured.
Lavrov told the Moscow daily Izvestia that a proposed peace summit would not succeed until its fundamental bases were changed, including allowing Russia to participate.
"We are in any case ready to hold discussions but not on the bases of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy's 'peace formula'," Lavrov told the daily.
"How could any serious politician in Washington, Brussels, London, Paris or Berlin say that there is no alternative to the Zelenskiy formula," he said.
According to Reuters, Lavrov dismissed as unacceptable the plan's provisions, which call for Russia to withdraw from territory it has captured, including Crimea, annexed in 2014, and the restoration of Ukraine's 1991 post-Soviet borders. It also calls for a means to bring Russia to account for its February 2022 invasion.
Zelenskiy rejects any notion of negotiations with Moscow on any basis other than the peace plan.
Lavrov said he had met officials and diplomats from Switzerland who had assured him that a peace summit which Bern has agreed to host would include Russian participation and be conducted on realistic terms.
He said Swiss officials had told him "we understand that nothing can be solved without you, that's unfair." And once the plan was turned into a "collective product", Russia would be invited.
Lavrov also said US proposals to discuss arms deals, uncoupling the issue from the Ukraine conflict, made little sense.
"It is a joke and does not reflect well on those in the Administration in Washington dealing with foreign policy," he told Izvestia. "All this boils down to the fact that foreign policy in the United States is being directed by people who don't know how to engage in diplomacy."


Cranes to Start Removing Wreckage from Baltimore Bridge Collapse, Biden OKs $60M in Aid

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 28: The sunsets on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 28: The sunsets on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
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Cranes to Start Removing Wreckage from Baltimore Bridge Collapse, Biden OKs $60M in Aid

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 28: The sunsets on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 28: The sunsets on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews on Friday can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city's vital port from operating.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the crane, which was arriving by barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, will be one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the cargo ship that hit it this week.

"The best minds in the world” are working on the plans for removal, Moore said. The US Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District told the governor that it and the Navy were mobilizing major resources from around the country at record speed to clear the channel.

“This is not just about Maryland,” Moore said. “This is about the nation’s economy. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America.”

He warned of a long road to recovery but said he was grateful to the Biden administration for approving $60 million in immediate aid. President Joe Biden has said the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.
“This work is not going to take hours. This work is not going to take days. This work is not going to take weeks,” Moore said. “We have a very long road ahead of us.”

Thirty-two members of the Army Corps of Engineers were surveying the scene of the collapse and 38 Navy contractors were working on the salvage operation, officials said Thursday.

The devastation left behind after the cargo ship lost power and struck a support pillar early Tuesday is extensive. Divers recovered the bodies of two men from a pickup truck in the Patapsco River near the bridge’s middle span Wednesday, but officials said they have to start clearing the wreckage before anyone can reach the bodies of four other missing workers.

State police have said that based on sonar scans, the vehicles appear to be encased in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris.
Federal and state officials have said the collision and collapse appeared to be an accident.

Rebuilding the bridge could take anywhere from 18 months to several years, experts say, while the cost could be at least $400 million — or more than twice that.

It all depends on factors that are still mostly unknown. They range from the design of the new bridge to how swiftly government officials can navigate the bureaucracy of approving permits and awarding contracts.

Realistically, the project could take five to seven years, according to Ben Schafer, an engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University.

“The lead time on air conditioning equipment right now for a home renovation is like 16 months, right?" Schafer said. He continued: “So it’s like you’re telling me they’re going to build a whole bridge in two years? I want it to be true, but I think empirically it doesn’t feel right to me.”

Others are more optimistic about the potential timeline: Sameh Badie, an engineering professor at George Washington University, said the project could take as little as 18 months to two years.


Netanyahu Seeks 30-Day Extension to Craft Law Addressing Military Draft for Ultra-Orthodox Men

 23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
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Netanyahu Seeks 30-Day Extension to Craft Law Addressing Military Draft for Ultra-Orthodox Men

 23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is seeking a 30-day extension to craft a law to deal with the mandatory enlistment for ultra-Orthodox men, after weeks of negotiations in his cabinet were unsuccessful.

Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to present legislation aimed at increasing recruitment among the religious community by the end of March. Netanyahu asked for the extension on Thursday afternoon.

Broad exemptions from mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men have reopened a deep divide in the country and rattled the government coalition. Netanyahu’s fellow War Cabinet members are staunchly opposed to his proposed new conscription law.

In a letter to the Supreme Court, Netanyahu said that additional time is needed “because it has been proven in the past that enlistment without an agreed-upon arrangement actually has the opposite effect.”

Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years followed by years of reserve duty. Jewish women serve two mandatory years. But the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries.

The exemptions — and the government stipends many seminary students receive through age 26 — have infuriated the wider general public, especially while the country is embroiled in a war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

The Supreme Court has ruled the current system discriminatory and given the government until the end of March to present a bill and until June 30 to pass it.


White House Says US Passed Written Warning of Moscow Attack to Russia

Russian people mourn near the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)
Russian people mourn near the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)
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White House Says US Passed Written Warning of Moscow Attack to Russia

Russian people mourn near the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)
Russian people mourn near the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)

The White House on Thursday dismissed as "nonsense" Russia's charge of Ukraine's involvement in last week's attack on Moscow's Crocus City concert hall that claimed more than 140 lives, saying it was clear that the ISIS group was "solely responsible."

In a briefing to reporters, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that the United States passed to Russian security services a written warning of an extremist attack on large gatherings in Moscow, one of many provided in advance.

"It is abundantly clear that ISIS was solely responsible for the horrific attack in Moscow last week," Kirby said. "In fact, the United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack and the Kremlin knows this."

Kirby spoke shortly after Russia's Investigative Committee said it had uncovered evidence that the four gunmen who carried out last Friday's attack were linked to "Ukrainian nationalists" and had received cash and cryptocurrency from Ukraine.

He described the Russian allegations as "nonsense and propaganda."

The United States, he said, provided multiple advance warnings to Russian authorities of extremist attacks on concerts and large gatherings in Moscow, including in writing on March 7 at 11:15 am, to Russia's security services.

The United States passed "following normal procedures and through established channels that have been employed many times previously...a warning in writing to Russian security services," Kirby said.


Russian Veto Brings End to UN Panel Monitoring Enforcement of North Korea Nuclear Sanctions

Russia's Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia addresses the Security Council on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Russia's Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia addresses the Security Council on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Russian Veto Brings End to UN Panel Monitoring Enforcement of North Korea Nuclear Sanctions

Russia's Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia addresses the Security Council on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Russia's Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia addresses the Security Council on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Russia vetoed a UN resolution Thursday in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by United Nations experts of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, though the sanctions themselves remain in place.

Russia’s turnaround on the monitoring -- which it repeatedly agreed to in the past -- prompted Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine, in violation of the UN sanctions.

The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, Russia against, and China abstaining. The Security Council resolution would have extended the mandate of the panel of experts for a year, but Russia’s veto will halt its operation. The UN sanctions against North Korea still remain in force.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council before the vote that Western nations are trying to “strangle” North Korea and that sanctions have proven “irrelevant” and “detached from reality” in reining in the country's nuclear program.

US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told the council after the vote that Russia’s veto was nothing more than “the attempt by one council member to silence the independent objective investigations” into North Korea’s sanctions violations.

He said Russia acted because “the panel began reporting in the last year on Russia’s blatant violations of the UN Security Council resolutions.”

White House national security spokesman John Kirby condemned Russia’s veto as a “reckless action” that undermines sanctions imposed on North Korea, while warning against the deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly as North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons as it wages its war in Ukraine.

“The international community should resolutely uphold the global nonproliferation regime and support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russia’s brutal aggression,” Kirby told reporters.

Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Russia’s veto follows arms deals between Russia and North Korea in violation of UN sanctions, including “the transfer of ballistic missiles, which Russia has then used in its illegal invasion of Ukraine since the early part of this year.”

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a US-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years.


Russia Arrests Another Suspect in Concert Hall Attack That Killed 143

A Russian woman mourns and places flowers at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)
A Russian woman mourns and places flowers at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)
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Russia Arrests Another Suspect in Concert Hall Attack That Killed 143

A Russian woman mourns and places flowers at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)
A Russian woman mourns and places flowers at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, six days after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 28 March 2024. (EPA)

Russia's top investigative body said Thursday that another suspect has been detained as an accomplice in the attack by gunmen on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 143 people.

A statement from the Investigative Committee said the latest person detained was involved in financing Friday's attack on the Crocus City concert hall in which gunmen shot people who were waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire. It did not give further details of the suspect's identity or alleged actions.

Officials previously said that 11 suspects had been arrested, including four who allegedly carried out the attack. Those four, identified as Tajik nationals, appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday on terrorism charges and showed signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.

A faction of the ISIS group has claimed responsibility for the massacre. But Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin have persistently claimed, without presenting evidence, that Ukraine and the West had a role in the attack.

The Investigative Committee statement said it has “confirmed data that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack received significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine, which were used in preparing the crime.”

Ukraine denies involvement and its officials claim that Moscow is pushing the allegation as a pretext to intensify its fighting in Ukraine.

Health officials said Thursday that about 70 people remain hospitalized from injuries in the attack, many of them in severe condition.


Türkiye Opposition Aims to Hit Back at Erdogan in Local Elections

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during a campaign rally ahead of nationwide municipality elections, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP)
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during a campaign rally ahead of nationwide municipality elections, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP)
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Türkiye Opposition Aims to Hit Back at Erdogan in Local Elections

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during a campaign rally ahead of nationwide municipality elections, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP)
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during a campaign rally ahead of nationwide municipality elections, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP)

Bruised and fractured by Tayyip Erdogan's victory in 2023 general elections, Türkiye’s opposition aims to land a blow in Sunday's local polls, with the future of its biggest hope, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, tied to the outcome.
The nationwide municipal votes on March 31 could reinforce President Erdogan's control after two decades running Türkiye, or signal change in the NATO member's deeply divided political landscape.
The results are likely to be shaped in part by economic woes driven by rampant inflation, and by Kurdish and Islamist voters weighing up the government's performance and their hopes for political change, Reuters said.
Opposition hopes of transformation were fuelled by local election results in 2019 when they defeated Erdogan's AK Party in the main two cities, Istanbul and Ankara, which had been run by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors for 25 years. But Erdogan bounced back last year, retaining the presidency and winning a parliamentary majority with nationalist allies despite voters' concerns about a cost-of-living crisis. In response, a broad opposition alliance splintered. Polls show Imamoglu and the AKP candidate, former minister Murat Kurum, in a close race in Istanbul, a city of 16 million, where Erdogan made his name as mayor in the 1990s. The incumbent opposition mayor leads in the capital Ankara. Erdogan has been seeking a bigger role for Türkiye on the world stage and sought to repair frayed ties with many nations in recent years, including in the Middle East. But during campaigning he said Turks should vote for the AKP to defend against unspecified enemies.
"Those who cannot stomach Türkiye’s increasing power in the region and world, or its principled and fair stance, are currently waiting in ambush," he said on Monday at a rally in the northern province of Tokat.
"In 2019 when Erdogan and AK Party lost Istanbul, it was a big blow and it was a scratch on Erdogan's reputation. Up until then he was unbeatable, invincible," said Yetkin Report analyst Murat Yetkin, describing a win in Istanbul as vital for Erdogan.
"If he does so, that means that he will be able to extend and endorse his power to local administrations," he said, with analysts saying Erdogan may then bid to change the constitution to enable him to stand as president again in 2028.
An Imamoglu victory would however revitalize the opposition, said political analyst Berk Esen of Sabanci University.
"If the opposition candidate can win in Istanbul then at least the main opposition party will be able to gain sufficient strength to challenge Erdogan in the coming years," he said.
It was a message that Imamoglu sought to convey.
"Türkiye’s destiny is in your hands," Imamoglu said in an appeal to young Turks in Istanbul. "You can change what is going wrong in Türkiye with one vote."
"The playing field is tilted in favor of the ruling alliance," said Esen. "Imamoglu is basically fighting alone."
ECONOMY, GAZA SWAYING VOTERS
Erdogan's prospects appear to have been dented by a rise in support for the Islamist New Welfare Party due to its hardline stance against Israel over the Gaza conflict and dissatisfaction with the Islamist-rooted AKP's handling of the economy. Erdogan's rhetoric against Israel has been harsh but Ankara has maintained commercial ties with Israel, drawing criticism from Welfare, which has tapped into anger among Turks who want the government to be more active in supporting Palestinians.
"If we, the Welfare Party, were in power, Israel would not be able to attack Gaza," the party's deputy leader Mehmet Altinoz told Reuters, calling for a trade embargo on Israel.
Polls indicate Welfare's support may have doubled to some 5%, eating into votes that may otherwise have gone to the AKP.
"They have a more radical, anti-Israeli stance and this makes them popular among radical Islamists," said Yetkin. Erdogan's prospects of winning back Istanbul may also depend on Kurdish voters, many of whom are expected to put aside party loyalty and back Imamoglu, according to pollsters.
For other voters, the local elections offer an opportunity to give their verdict on the government's economic performance. Turks have been struggling with soaring prices for years, with annual inflation still near 70% despite a major U-turn in economic policy after last year's elections that lifted the key interest rate a massive 4,150 basis points to 50%.
While the economy may be a key factor influencing voters nationwide, the focus of attention will be on Istanbul and the message it gives on the direction that Türkiye is taking.
"If he loses this election, the legend of Ekrem Imamoglu would be in great trouble," said MAK Research head Mehmet Ali Kulat. But victory for him will change the picture.
"Imamoglu would become an important actor in Turkish politics for the next 20 years and very likely be a candidate in the next presidential election."