Europe | Election economics

Ahead of a critical election Turkey’s economy is running on borrowed time

With the lira down 80%, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s medicine isn’t working

A Turkish national flag picturing modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is displayed next to a spot market in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday, February 11, 2022. Turkey's ongoing economic crisis deepens, reflecting severe price hikes on consumer goods, energy costs and housing expenses. (Photo by: Altan Gocher/GocherImagery/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images
|ISTANBUL

VISITORS TO TURKEY are often surprised to discover that in a country supposedly consumed by economic malaise, the restaurants, at least in large cities, are bursting with customers. But appearances are deceptive. A big reason for the bustle is that middle-class Turks would rather spend their earnings today than watch inflation, officially measured at 55% year on year but widely believed to be much higher, burn through their savings tomorrow.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Election economics”

From the April 1st 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Europe

The Russian Army Attacked Kherson With Guided Bombs

Russian trainee pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians

Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones

The “Trumpnado”, a wave shaped like Donald Trump's profile, crushing a boat with a European flag.

Can the good ship Europe weather the Trumpnado?

Tossed by political storms, the continent must dodge a new threat


Demonstrators march, shouting slogans against tourists in Barcelona

Spain’s proposed house tax on foreigners will not fix its shortage

Pedro Sánchez will need the opposition’s help to increase supply


A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched

The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command

A TV dramatisation of Mussolini’s life inflames Italy

With Giorgia Meloni in power, the fascist past is more relevant than ever

France’s new prime minister is trying to court the left

François Bayrou gambles with Emmanuel Macron’s economic legacy