Parliament To Vote On State Of Emergency Today-Erdogan

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the Grand National Assembly of Turkey will vote on implementing a three-month state of emergency in the 10 provinces surrounding the epicentre of the devastating earthquakes that rocked the region on 6 February. After a short-lived period of unity, the gov't and opposition have resumed verbal attacks on one another, with the response to the quake likely to feature heavily in the campaign ahead of the May general election.

• The president has come in for criticism from opposition politicians and individuals in the affected regions for the perceived slow gov't reaction to the quake in some areas.
• Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) stated on 8 Feb that "I refuse to look at what is happening as above politics and align with the ruling party. This collapse is exactly the result of systematic profiteering politics...If there is anyone responsible for this process, it is Erdogan. It is this ruling party that has not prepared the country for an earthquake for 20 years."
• Erdogan hit back at critics stating "This is a time for unity, solidarity. In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,"