AKP lists ancient castle among Erdoğan's opening ceremonies for 2021

The ancient Kahramanmaraş Castle was listed among the opening ceremonies President Erdoğan participated in 2021, prompting protest from main opposition CHP deputy head Ali Öztunç who said that the list of ceremonies was faulty.

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The ancient Kahramanmaraş Castle was listed among some 106 facilities that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended opening ceremonies for during his visit to the city on Sep. 10.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy head Ali Öztunç noted that the castle had only been renovated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as the structure has been standing since the second century.

"They're making it seem like they opened the castle, the historical castle that's stood for centuries. The governor's office tells you that the castle was built between the first century BC and the second century," Öztunç noted.

The deputy said that the whole list provided by the AKP was faulty and that the number of opening ceremonies had been manipulated upwards by presenting small renovations as construction. 

"They built a retaining wall and jotted it down as an opening ceremony," Öztunç said. "They added roads that were renovated in 2019 and 2020." 

The list also reportedly includes private businesses like a 230-million-lira hospital and factories, alongside places that have had multiple opening ceremonies already.