Davutoğlu promises to find spouses for unmarried if AK Party is elected

Source: 
Todays Zaman
Publication date: 
Oct 23 2015

Acting prime minister and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu signaled his party's intention to establish a matchmaking agency in order to assist those who wish to get married, during an election rally on Thursday.

Davutoğlu's remarks, which sparked wide commentary on Turkish social media, came during a rally in Şanlıurfa, where he called on people to turn to the government if they have difficulty finding a spouse.

“You have a job, salary and food. What's left? A spouse. We [the AK Party] want the people of this land to reproduce. When you say you need a spouse, you go to your parents. Hopefully they will find you an appropriate spouse. If they cannot, you can turn to us. … We will make sure you have a job, a house and a spouse,” Davutoğlu said.

Main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) İstanbul deputy Eren Erdem on Friday submitted a parliamentary question about the AK Party's intention to establish a matchmaking agency.

In his written parliamentary question to Prime Minister Davutoğlu, Erdem asked: “If the AK Party comes to power alone, will you put matchmaking shows on TRT [the state-run broadcaster] to help people find themselves an appropriate spouse? If the AK Party comes to power alone, will you establish a ‘Ministry of Heart Affairs' to carry out a 'zero problem policy' between married couples? If you do, will you appoint a ‘local and national' deputy from the AK Party [to this ministry]? Will you provide financial support to those who are married through your institutions?”

Davutoğlu's remarks came with less than two weeks left to the second general election in five months. Opinion polls suggest the AK Party, which had dominated Turkish politics for 13 years until losing its parliamentary majority in June, will again fail to secure enough votes to govern alone in the Nov. 1 election.

The AK Party was unable to find a coalition partner in more than a month of talks after the first vote, prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to call a snap poll in the hope that it would deliver the result he wants -- a return to single-party rule by the AK Party.

Fuente: http://www.todayszaman.com/latest-news_davutoglu-promises-to-find-spouse...