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French press review 23 June 2018

Turkey's 'Sultan' Erdogan faces high-risk elections on Sunday as the country's troubled economy emboldens the opposition.

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We begin with comments about Sunday's high-risk general elections in Turkey with some analysts expecting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to be pushed to a second round on July 8, with the possibility of his ruling party losing its majority in parliament.

But economists are now sounding the alarm bells, saying that while state-pumped money contributed in the economy's growth rate, Erdogan neglected other key things like inflation running at 12 percent and the devaluating currency as well as overheating.

According to the left-leaning Libé, while everyone believed Erdogan had become untouchable due to his iron-fisted grip over his country and the fascination the Turks had for him, hungry mouths have no ears and that could swing the vote and the result of the polls, he were was expected to win by a landslide.

Liberation argues that by getting used to throwing his countrymen in prison, fanning populism and nationalism, exacerbating religious sentiments, weaving dangerous liaisons and insulting his western allies, Erdogan ended up chasing away investors.

Le Figaro agrees asserting that even if Erdogan's reputation as the architect of a new Turkey remains likeable to his rock solid electorate, the growing rejection of the system he perpetrated and the economic downturn has facilitated the forming of an opposition alliance against him.

Le Monde welcomes the good news from Greece, after Athens struck a deal on debt relief with its European creditors which heralds the end of the eight-year bailout effort which followed the 2010 financial crisis.

The fresh deal which lets Athens to exit from its bailout program in August this year, allows Greece to put off the repayment of nearly 100 billion euros of debt by a decade. That's equivalent to 40 percent of the debt which it owes the Eurozone. This is only part of the nearly 280 billion euros that Athens has received in funds.

Le Monde says at these times when new Italian dark clouds gather over Europe's economy, struggling with a migratory crisis which threatens its unity, it was time to close the Greek chapter.

Regarding the migrants crisis, La Montagne criticizes populist governments across Europe which pretend to be the only ones capable of understanding the fears of the people.

The publication argues that they are doing that simply it is simply because it's the essence of their business to blame migrants for everything going wrong in Europe, from unemployment to delinquency.

For La Montagne, it is clear that migrants are not responsible for the de-vitalization of western democracies, cultivated to sway public opinion at the real risk of losing its soul.

 

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