Turkish PM and main opposition head row over bonus promises

Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu and main opposition leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu have traded barbs over the latter's promise to distribute bonuses to pensioners if he is elected prime minister.

The row between Davuto?lu and Republican People's Party (CHP) head K?l?çdaro?lu started when the latter promised two bonuses to pensioners every year starting from this year if he is elected as the new prime minister in the June 7 elections.

"I hereby declare that I will make all the legal amendments ready within one month [after the elections] for bonuses to be given to pensioners in each of the religious holidays [Eid el-Fitr and Eid al-Adha] ? and will continue the distribution of bonuses worth two monthly salaries every year during the time I stay as prime minister," said K?l?çdaro?lu while addressing his party members in his weekly parliamentary speech on March 24, while holding a notarial commitment letter.

K?l?çdaro?lu added that he would resign from the prime ministry and the CHP's chairman posts while also quitting politics if he fails to fulfill the commitments.

Davuto?lu responded to the promises, saying it was easy for K?l?çdaro?lu to say he would pay bonuses as he had not worked to save the reserves at the Treasury.

"Of course it is easy for K?l?çdaro?lu. He did not save the money in the Treasury's reserves. K?l?çdaro?lu wants to come to power and distribute the money the government of 12 years, which has tried to make use of all of the country's resources, in just four months," said Davuto?lu in a speech during a visit to the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-??) on March 25.

Davuto?lu said the public should not fall for such populist elections campaign words, just like in the 1990s. "Our nation's...