Turkey's Erdogan Dismisses Head of Statistics Agency Following Announcement of '36.1% Inflation'

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed the head of the Turkish Statistical Institute following the announcement of a high inflation rate. The dismissed official was known to have served less than a year in the position.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 29th (local time), the Turkish government announced through a press release that the head of the Turkish Statistical Institute had been dismissed. Earlier, on the 3rd, the Turkish Statistical Institute announced that last year's annual inflation rate reached 36.1%, the highest in 19 years.

It is unclear whether the inflation rate announcement by the Statistical Institute was the direct cause of the dismissal, but the AP analyzed that "President Erdogan held the head of the Statistical Institute accountable for the inflation rate announcement and replaced him in less than a year." Notably, the replacement occurred abruptly just five days before the scheduled announcement of the January inflation rate on the 3rd of next month.

There is also heated debate over the inflation rate within Turkish politics. The ruling party criticizes the figure as exaggerated, while the opposition claims it was manipulated to be lower than the actual rate, arguing it is twice as high.

The dismissed head, Sayit Erdal Din?er, reportedly said in an interview with local media earlier this month, "I am here today, but tomorrow someone else will be," and added, "Can you imagine how many colleagues remained silent about announcing an inflation rate so different from the compiled statistics?"

Turkey's rapid inflation is analyzed to be worsening as the government lowered benchmark interest rates and increased the money supply despite soaring prices. The Central Bank of Turkey has cut interest rates for four consecutive months since September last year, with the benchmark rate falling from 19% in September to 14% currently.

This is reportedly due to pressure from President Erdogan, who maintains his own assertion that "high interest rates cause high inflation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.