[ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has fired the head of the state statistics agency, according to a decree issued on January 29th.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The announcement came weeks after Sait Erdal Dincer, head of the Turkish Institute of Statistics, published a report showing that inflation was at its highest level in 19 years.<\/p>\n
Erhan Cetinkaya has been appointed to replace Dencer.<\/p>\n
Erdogan has not clarified the appointment of Centinkaya, who previously served as deputy chief of Turkey’s banking regulator.<\/p>\n
Dincer has been criticized by both the government and the opposition for publishing data on January 3 showing that consumer prices rose 36.1 percent in December, compared to a year earlier.<\/p>\n
That figure was higher than analysts’ forecast of 27 percent.<\/p>\n
The Turkish opposition has said that living expenses are at least twice as high, while Turkish media have reported that Erdogan is angry about the publication of the data.<\/p>\n
High inflation has eroded purchasing power in Turkey, where prices for food, transport, heat, electricity and other necessities have risen.<\/p>\n
Inflation has been exacerbated by Erdogan’s intervention in the Central Bank and his policies on the economy.<\/p>\n
Although central banks usually fight inflation by raising interest rates and tightening monetary policy, Erdogan has said high interest rates cause inflation.<\/p>\n
The Turkish leader has pressured the Central Bank to lower interest rates several times, which has resulted in the devaluation of the lira.<\/p>\n
This Turkish currency lost 44 percent of its value against the US dollar last year.\/REL\/<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n top channel
\n<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n