Nuremberg approves Erdoğan’s election posters | DiePress.com

The decision sparked astonishment and harsh criticism at times.

Election posters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) have appeared in Nuremberg over the past few days, raising eyebrows and criticism. On the posters, Erdogan is calling on Turkish voters to vote for him in the May 14 elections. “Due to the election campaign, 25 posters are approved outside the Old Town as part of special use from April 22 to May 5,” the city of Nuremberg wrote on Twitter.

Many media reported on the posters of the AKP. The city’s decision was sharply criticized online. Former Green Party politician Volker Beck asked on Twitter: “Who allows something like this @nuernberg_de”. “German politics must finally wake up: Erdogan and the AKP are anti-democratic. Anyone who supports them poisons the political climate in Germany,” he told Bild newspaper.

“Neutral in both the German and foreign election campaign”

The city administration could not initially be reached by phone on Monday. “We are neutral in both German and foreign election campaigns,” she said on Twitter. “Everyone has the right to put up posters within the framework of the law.” There have been no requests from third parties to post such advertisements. “These would also have been approved if there was no criminal content on the labels.” The city administration also wrote on Twitter: “Because of the principle of equal treatment, we are obliged to approve such posters if there is no criminal content on the posters.”

One of the posters reads over Erdoğan’s portrait: “Dogru zaman, dogru adam” (English: “Right time, right man”) and next to it “zamaninda oyunu kullan” (“Choose at the appointed time”).

Turkish citizens living abroad and eligible to vote have until May 9 to cast their ballots in the elections. About 1.5 million Turks with the right to vote live in Germany.

(APA)