Thousands of citizens queued to buy cheap vegetables for a second day today at mobile stalls erected by the government, part of a last-ditch bid to combat inflation and curry voters’ favor ahead of municipal elections that are due to be held on March 31. The stalls sell eggplants, tomatoes, onions and peppers at half the market price, in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s newly declared war against alleged profiteers and speculators.
“Just as the state finished off the terrorists in the caves, we will finish off those who are unleashing terror in the wholesale halls," he roared at a public gathering on Sunday in an apparent reference to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).