04-16-2017, 10:36 PM
*** 17-Apr-17 World View -- Sharply divided Turkey approves referendum giving Erdogan near-dictatorial powers
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Sharply divided Turkey approves referendum giving Erdogan near-dictatorial powers
****
![[Image: g170416b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170416b.jpg)
Campaign picture from last week, when Erdogan signed an emergency decree, live broadcast on television, allowing beauty salons to perform laser hair removal. (Cumhuriyet)
By a vote of 51% to 49%, Turkey's voters on Sunday approved a
referendum giving the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan vast new powers.
Declaring victory, Erdogan said:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"For the first time in the history of the republic, we
> are changing our ruling system through civil
> politics. ...
>
> April 16 is the victory of all who said 'yes' or 'no,' of the
> whole 80 million, of the whole of Turkey. ...
>
> There are those who are belittling the result. They shouldn't try,
> it will be in vain. It's too late now."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Erdogan's remarks reflect how deeply split the country is. Those who
support Erdogan often consider him to be close to a god, or at least
the savior of Turkey, following last year's coup attempt, much like
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded modern Turkey in 1924, following
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
However, Erdogan's opponents say they're deeply worried that, far from
being a savior of Turkey, Erdogan is turning the country into a
dictatorship. They refer to the failed coup attempt on July 15 of
last year as a "gift" to Erdogan, because it permitted him to
institute a devastating purge of over 100,000 of his political
opponents, who were arrested or fired with virtually no evidence.
Erdogan declared a state of emergency, and then used the emergency
powers under the declaration to conduct a sweeping purge of the
military, judiciary and civil service.
Erdogan's supporters claim that the purges were necessary following
the coup attempt, but opponents point out that Erdogan had already
begun the first purges before the coup attempt.
The most dramatic example occurred on March 5 of last year, months
before the coup attempt, when Erdogan ordered a government takeover of
the only major opposition media publishers in Turkey, the Zaman media
group, publishers of Turkey's most popular newspaper, Today's Zaman.
On that day, Turkish police forcibly entered the Zaman building,
firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who had
gathered outside, and forcibly took over the publisher, as we reported at the time.
After the coup attempt, Erdogan arrested and jailed hundreds of
additional reporters, creating an atmosphere where any reporter
that opposes Erdogan can be immediately accused of treason
and jailed.
That's one of several reasons why Erdogan's opponents are saying that
the referendum election was invalid. In the months leading up the
referendum, the media was flooded with advertising favoring the
referendum, with pro-referendum billboards visible everywhere. But
anti-referendum advertising was almost nonexistent, out of fear that
opposing the referendum could lead to being jailed.
And yet, despite those and other overwhelming advantages, Erdogan was
only able to win by one of the slimmest of margins. Furthermore,
opponents point to examples of voter fraud and say that they'll demand
an investigation, but their demands are not likely to be heeded.
The referendum makes historic changes to Turkey's government.
Turkey's parliament will be largely sidelined. The prime minister and
Cabinet will be abolished, and ministers will be directly appointed by
the president and accountable to him. The president also will set the
budget. The president will have the power to dissolve parliament and
declare a state of emergency, and will have enhanced powers to appoint
judges to the high court and constitutional court. Opponents claim
that once these powers become effective in 2019, Erdogan will be able
to use these powers to gain even more power, to the point of becoming
a total dictator. Hurriyet (Ankara) and VOA and AP
Related Articles
****
**** Turkey's referendum results will be closely scrutinized by Europe
****
Following the referendum results on Sunday, politicians in the
European Union expressed dismay. One said, "Strange to see democracy
restrict democracy," referring to the view that Turkey will be a far
less democratic country than it used to be, replacing the democracy
with an autocracy.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was
responsible for observing the election, and will issue a report soon
on possible election irregularities. Until then, many EU politicians
are withholding comment.
A statement issued by the European Commission warned that since Turkey
is a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey's implementation of the
referendum must meet the standards of the European Union:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"We take note of the reported results of the
> referendum in Turkey on the amendments to the Constitution,
> adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 21 January 2017.
>
> We are awaiting the assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR International
> Observation Mission, also with regard to alleged irregularities.
>
> The constitutional amendments, and especially their practical
> implementation, will be assessed in light of Turkey's obligations
> as a European Union candidate country and as a member of the
> Council of Europe.
>
> We encourage Turkey to address the Council of Europe's concerns
> and recommendations, including with regards to the State of
> Emergency. In view of the close referendum result and the
> far-reaching implications of the constitutional amendments, we
> also call on the Turkish authorities to seek the broadest possible
> national consensus in their implementation."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Officially, Turkey is still a candidate for becoming a member
nation of the European Union. However, relations between Turkey
and the EU have been increasingly hostile, and few people still
believe that Turkey has any chance of becoming an EU member in
the near or intermediate future.
In his victory speech on Sunday, Erdogan told his cheering
supporters that he would like to reinstate the death penalty.
The death penalty in Turkey was ended in 2003 as part of the process
to get approval for membership in the EU. Reinstituting the
death penalty would end Turkey's bid for EU membership once and
for all, but Erdogan presumably believes that it doesn't make
any difference.
Another issue hanging in the balance is the refugee deal signed early
last year by the EU and Turkey. Under the deal, Turkey agreed with
the EU to take back all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece
illegally. In return, Turkey would receive financial aid, visa-free
travel for all Turkish citizens in Europe's Schengen Zone, and an
acceleration of negotiations for Turkey to join the EU.
The deal has been successful in that the number of refugees crossing
the Aegean Sea to enter Greece and the EU has been reduced from
thousands a day to dozens a day. However, visa-free travel has never
been implemented as promised, and negotiations for Turkey to join the
EU have almost completely ended.
If the Council of Europe recommends any sort of sanctions on Turkey
because of the implementation of the referendum, the Turkey may follow
through on its repeated threat to rescind the EU-Turkey deal,
and allow the free flow of refugees across the Aegean Sea.
However, some analysts have said that the deal is no longer even
necessary, because all the routes through Central and Eastern Europe
are now being blocked by fences and barbed wire, so refugees know that
if they cross the Aegean, then they won't get any farther than Greece.
Statement by European Commission and New Europe and Middle East Eye and National Interest
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Zaman media group,
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE,
European Commission, Council of Europe,
Greece, Aegean Sea
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Sharply divided Turkey approves referendum giving Erdogan near-dictatorial powers
- Turkey's referendum results will be closely scrutinized by Europe
****
**** Sharply divided Turkey approves referendum giving Erdogan near-dictatorial powers
****
Campaign picture from last week, when Erdogan signed an emergency decree, live broadcast on television, allowing beauty salons to perform laser hair removal. (Cumhuriyet)
By a vote of 51% to 49%, Turkey's voters on Sunday approved a
referendum giving the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan vast new powers.
Declaring victory, Erdogan said:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"For the first time in the history of the republic, we
> are changing our ruling system through civil
> politics. ...
>
> April 16 is the victory of all who said 'yes' or 'no,' of the
> whole 80 million, of the whole of Turkey. ...
>
> There are those who are belittling the result. They shouldn't try,
> it will be in vain. It's too late now."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Erdogan's remarks reflect how deeply split the country is. Those who
support Erdogan often consider him to be close to a god, or at least
the savior of Turkey, following last year's coup attempt, much like
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded modern Turkey in 1924, following
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
However, Erdogan's opponents say they're deeply worried that, far from
being a savior of Turkey, Erdogan is turning the country into a
dictatorship. They refer to the failed coup attempt on July 15 of
last year as a "gift" to Erdogan, because it permitted him to
institute a devastating purge of over 100,000 of his political
opponents, who were arrested or fired with virtually no evidence.
Erdogan declared a state of emergency, and then used the emergency
powers under the declaration to conduct a sweeping purge of the
military, judiciary and civil service.
Erdogan's supporters claim that the purges were necessary following
the coup attempt, but opponents point out that Erdogan had already
begun the first purges before the coup attempt.
The most dramatic example occurred on March 5 of last year, months
before the coup attempt, when Erdogan ordered a government takeover of
the only major opposition media publishers in Turkey, the Zaman media
group, publishers of Turkey's most popular newspaper, Today's Zaman.
On that day, Turkish police forcibly entered the Zaman building,
firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who had
gathered outside, and forcibly took over the publisher, as we reported at the time.
After the coup attempt, Erdogan arrested and jailed hundreds of
additional reporters, creating an atmosphere where any reporter
that opposes Erdogan can be immediately accused of treason
and jailed.
That's one of several reasons why Erdogan's opponents are saying that
the referendum election was invalid. In the months leading up the
referendum, the media was flooded with advertising favoring the
referendum, with pro-referendum billboards visible everywhere. But
anti-referendum advertising was almost nonexistent, out of fear that
opposing the referendum could lead to being jailed.
And yet, despite those and other overwhelming advantages, Erdogan was
only able to win by one of the slimmest of margins. Furthermore,
opponents point to examples of voter fraud and say that they'll demand
an investigation, but their demands are not likely to be heeded.
The referendum makes historic changes to Turkey's government.
Turkey's parliament will be largely sidelined. The prime minister and
Cabinet will be abolished, and ministers will be directly appointed by
the president and accountable to him. The president also will set the
budget. The president will have the power to dissolve parliament and
declare a state of emergency, and will have enhanced powers to appoint
judges to the high court and constitutional court. Opponents claim
that once these powers become effective in 2019, Erdogan will be able
to use these powers to gain even more power, to the point of becoming
a total dictator. Hurriyet (Ankara) and VOA and AP
Related Articles
- Turkey's 'shameful day for free press' as government seizes Zaman media (06-Mar-2016)
- Netherlands provokes growing crisis with Turkey by blocking ministers' entry (12-Mar-2017)
****
**** Turkey's referendum results will be closely scrutinized by Europe
****
Following the referendum results on Sunday, politicians in the
European Union expressed dismay. One said, "Strange to see democracy
restrict democracy," referring to the view that Turkey will be a far
less democratic country than it used to be, replacing the democracy
with an autocracy.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was
responsible for observing the election, and will issue a report soon
on possible election irregularities. Until then, many EU politicians
are withholding comment.
A statement issued by the European Commission warned that since Turkey
is a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey's implementation of the
referendum must meet the standards of the European Union:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"We take note of the reported results of the
> referendum in Turkey on the amendments to the Constitution,
> adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 21 January 2017.
>
> We are awaiting the assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR International
> Observation Mission, also with regard to alleged irregularities.
>
> The constitutional amendments, and especially their practical
> implementation, will be assessed in light of Turkey's obligations
> as a European Union candidate country and as a member of the
> Council of Europe.
>
> We encourage Turkey to address the Council of Europe's concerns
> and recommendations, including with regards to the State of
> Emergency. In view of the close referendum result and the
> far-reaching implications of the constitutional amendments, we
> also call on the Turkish authorities to seek the broadest possible
> national consensus in their implementation."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Officially, Turkey is still a candidate for becoming a member
nation of the European Union. However, relations between Turkey
and the EU have been increasingly hostile, and few people still
believe that Turkey has any chance of becoming an EU member in
the near or intermediate future.
In his victory speech on Sunday, Erdogan told his cheering
supporters that he would like to reinstate the death penalty.
The death penalty in Turkey was ended in 2003 as part of the process
to get approval for membership in the EU. Reinstituting the
death penalty would end Turkey's bid for EU membership once and
for all, but Erdogan presumably believes that it doesn't make
any difference.
Another issue hanging in the balance is the refugee deal signed early
last year by the EU and Turkey. Under the deal, Turkey agreed with
the EU to take back all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece
illegally. In return, Turkey would receive financial aid, visa-free
travel for all Turkish citizens in Europe's Schengen Zone, and an
acceleration of negotiations for Turkey to join the EU.
The deal has been successful in that the number of refugees crossing
the Aegean Sea to enter Greece and the EU has been reduced from
thousands a day to dozens a day. However, visa-free travel has never
been implemented as promised, and negotiations for Turkey to join the
EU have almost completely ended.
If the Council of Europe recommends any sort of sanctions on Turkey
because of the implementation of the referendum, the Turkey may follow
through on its repeated threat to rescind the EU-Turkey deal,
and allow the free flow of refugees across the Aegean Sea.
However, some analysts have said that the deal is no longer even
necessary, because all the routes through Central and Eastern Europe
are now being blocked by fences and barbed wire, so refugees know that
if they cross the Aegean, then they won't get any farther than Greece.
Statement by European Commission and New Europe and Middle East Eye and National Interest
Related Articles
- Erdogan says some Greek islands should really belong to Turkey (11-Dec-2016)
- Turkey's Erdogan eliminates more opposition in quest for power (06-Nov-2016)
- A dark shadow looms over EU-Turkey refugee deal, as Turkey passes harsh anti-Kurdish law (21-May-2016)
- Turkey's Erdogan blames the EU for reneging on the refugee deal (23-Sep-2016)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Zaman media group,
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE,
European Commission, Council of Europe,
Greece, Aegean Sea
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
