Erdogan pledged to rebuild the cities in 11 earthquake-hit provinces, vowing to erase the traces of the earthquakes that resulted in the loss of more than 50,000 lives. (AA)  / Photo: TRT World

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s manifesto ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, Erdogan, also AK Party’s chairman, unveiled a 23-point election manifesto, which firstly focuses on the steps to heal the wounds of February 6 earthquakes victims in southern Türkiye.

"Every attack, every disaster, every pain we experience, especially the earthquakes of February 6, shows that we need to tighten our unity, protect our unity more, and strengthen our brotherhood even more," Erdogan said.

"We will completely heal the wounds caused by the disaster in 11 provinces and their neighbouring cities by building a total of 650,000 new houses, 319,000 of which will be delivered in one year," he added.

With a "national risk shield model," he added that 81 provinces will be transformed into disaster-resilient cities.

Pledging to grow Türkiye in the upcoming period, Erdogan said: "Türkiye has no choice but to be strong, stay strong, and increase its power in order not to fall back into the pit of political and economic bondage."

Turning to the economy, Erdogan said Türkiye aims to bring inflation down to single digits, adding: "We will increase the welfare level of our employees, from civil servants to retirees and workers, by always increasing their wages above inflation."

Türkiye will continue with investment, production, and exports until reaching the goal of bringing its foreign trade volume to $1 trillion.

TRT World