Turkey’s annual inflation soared to its highest level in 19 years in December 2021, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute published on Monday. The country’s annual inflation jumped to 36.08 percent year-on-year in December, the highest since September 2002, just months before President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party first took office, and far exceeding the annual inflation forecast of 30.6 percent. Month-on-month, consumer prices rose 13.58 percent. Basic staples such as transportation and food and drink saw the highest annual increases, with transportation increasing 53.66 percent, food and non-alcoholic beverages increasing 43.80 percent, and furnishings and household equipment up 40.95 percent. The rising costs have left many Turkish citizens unable to afford basic goods and relying on government-issued food, such as bread, the price of which has risen considerably in supermarkets throughout the city in recent months. Others are turning to NGOs for help paying their ever-increasing bills, with electricity prices set to increase 50 to 100 …