Ankara — Wife of Turkish President Erdogan has drawn sharp criticisms after she was spotted carrying a handbag worth $50,000 during her trip to Japan, while the Turkish citizens struggle day in and day out over price hikes and unemployment.
Photos of Emine Erdogan went viral on social media, where she was spotted carrying a handbag worth $50,000 while arriving at Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
According to Ahval news, “The price tag of the handbag was equivalent to a year’s minimum wage of 11 people when Turkey is trying to recover from a currency crisis.”
Earlier, Erdogan and his wife came under the line of fire for carrying a heavy lavish lifestyle, while portraying a humble and religious facade.
“While the citizens struggle with price hikes, the Palace does not step back from luxury,” Cumhuriyet newspaper remarked in reference to the 1,150-room presidential complex built under Erdogan’s rule.
Turkish unemployment rate has jumped to highest with 14.7 percent in January 2019, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced on April 15. On one side, Turkish citizens struggle with price-hikes, highest unemployment rate and a struggling economy, the lavish lifestyle of Erdogan family is badly criticized by opposition parties.