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Sun sets over the old city as ferries set sail in the Bosphorus waterway in Istanbul, Turkey. MURAD SEZER/AP/Press Association Images
Live BlogTurkish Prime Minister proposes splitting Istanbul in two
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a novel idea about tackling the problem of governing the capital, which has a population of 17 million: split it in half.
ISTANBUL COULD BE split in two if the latest proposals by Turkish Prime Minister come to pass.
The massive city, which is home to about 17 million people, could be divided in order to make the business of governing it more manageable, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed.
Announcing his party’s manifesto for June elections, Erdogan said: “We will build two new cities in Istanbul due to high population. One on the European side and one on the Anatolian side.”
The plans also include the development of a financial district on the Anatolian side of the city, in a move to boost Turkey’s presence on the world stage by 2023 to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Republic.
However, while the proposals have received some support, they have been criticised by opposition People’s Republican Party vice-president, Gürsel Tekin. “The prime minister has these sorts of ideas. It does not matter if these projects come alive. They are soundbites,” he said.
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