[ April 19, 2024 ]
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Ataturk is dead.
Turkey now has firmly entrenched one-man rule.
Eighteen constitutional changes replace Turkey’s parliamentary system of government with a dictatorship.
“Turkey’s President Erdogan claims victory in vote to give him sweeping new powers – but opposition cries foul,” by Harriet Agerholm and Chris Stevenson, Independent, April 16, 2017:
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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory in a referendum granting him sweeping new powers, hailing the result as an “historic decision”.
The leader called on the international community to respect the result and discouraged his critics from “belittling” the outcome, saying they “shouldn’t try, it will be in vain”.
The state-run Anadolu news agency claimed that 51 per cent per cent of voters had sided with the “Yes” campaign, ushering in the most radical change to the country’s political system in modern times.
But the main opposition the Republican People’s Party (CHP) said they would demand a recount of up to 40 per cent of the vote, saying that “illegal acts” occurred during the vote and that there were up to 2.5m “problematic ballots”. The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) also claimed they had information that voter fraud was implicated in up to four per cent of the ballots. Both parties said they would appeal the results.
The Supreme Election Commission said it would make the unprecedented decision to count ballots that had not been stamped by its officials as valid unless they could be proved fraudulent, citing a high number of complaints that its officials at polling stations had failed to stamp them.
Anadolu reported that Mr Erdogan had called allied political leaders to congratulate them over the yes win, with the words: “May this result be fortunate for our nation.” Meanwhile, Mr Erdogan was said to have told Prime Minister Binali Yildirim that the results were “clear”, according to presidential sources.
As Mr Erdogan’s supporters celebrated on the streets of Istanbul with fireworks, the CHP said that “illegal acts” were carried out in favour of the government in the referendum.
Referring to the decision to count ballots without validation stamps, CHP Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu said: “You cannot change the rules of the game in the middle of the game,” adding that the board had “cast a shadow on the results”.
Yet the head of Turkey’s high electoral board Sadi Güven refuted the claims, saying the decision to count votes without stamps was taken before the results were entered into the system and that members of the AKP and the main opposition were present at almost all polling stations and signed off on reports.
He also confirmed that the “Yes” campaign had won based on unofficial results. With only about 600,000 votes still to be counted, 1.25m Turkish voters had opted to expand the President’s powers, Mr Güven told reporters in Ankara. He added that official results were expected in 11-12 days
The leader of Turkey’s nationalist MHP opposition party, Devlet Bahceli – who supported the “Yes” campaign – said that the outcome of a referendum on boosting the powers of Mr Erdogan was an “undeniably successful achievement” and should be respected.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan said unofficial results showed the “yes” side had won by a margin of 1.3 million votes.
The President struck a conciliatory tone, thanking all voters regardless of how they cast their ballots and describing the referendum as an “historic decision”.
“April 16 is the victory of all who said yes or no, of the whole 80 million, of the whole of Turkey of 780,000-square kilometers,” he said.
Turkey’s foreign minister said the win brought about the birth of a “new Turkey”. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a group of supporters in his hometown of Antalya on Sunday: “As of now, there is a truly new Turkey. There will be stability and trust in the new Turkey.”
But, with the opposition parties stating that a re-count was required, it may be some time before a definitive result is reached. The HDP claimed that results would not be final until their appeal had been heard.
“The referendum result is a clear sign that a societal agreement could not be reach,” HDP spokesman Osman Baydemir said. “Our co-chairs being jailed, the referendum being held under a state of emergency, and other oppressive measures cast a shadow and legitimacy problem over the vote,”
The vote introduces a raft of constitutional changes that mean Turkey’s parliamentary democracy can be replaced with an executive presidency. Mr Erdogan said Turks could expect the process to be complete by November 2019.
After the constitutional changes come into effect, Mr Erdogan will have the ability to stay in power until at least 2029 — since he will gains the chance to run for re-election in 2019 and potentially serve two five-year terms.
The referendum result also allows him to re-take control of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) that he helped to found. Mr Erdogan spent 11 years as Turkey’s Prime Minister, and head of the AKP, before becoming the country’s first directly-elected President in August 2014 — a supposedly ceremonial role.
The vote has opened bitter political divides in Turkey. Before voting closed, Anadolu reported that two people died in a fight outside a polling station in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.
Although the exact reason for the dispute was not known, Dogan news agency reported it as caused by “differences in political opinion”.
Anadolu news agency said a quarrel between two families turned deadly Sunday in a village school’s garden where people were casting their votes on Turkey’s referendum.
The “Yes” campaign says the changes would streamline Turkey’s political system, and pointed out that both the US and France have an executive presidency.
But opponents fear the concentration of the power in the office of the Presidency would cause the country to lurch further towards authoritarianism and one-man rule.
Shortly after state media announced the result, Mr Erdogan said he would “take up” the issue of reinstating the death penalty in Turkey, a long-sought objective of his.
The outcome will also shape the republic’s strained relations with the European Union. Turkey, a Nato member state, has curbed the flow of refugees and migrants – mainly refugees from wars in Syria and Iraq – using a route from Turkey to enter the bloc, but Mr Erdogan says he may review the deal after the vote….
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24 Comments
7 years ago
This reminds me of when Pres. Mahmoud Amadinejad claimed victory in his second bid as Pres. of Iran. Wonder if the people of Turkey are going to respond the way the Iranians did? If so, we know how that will end.
7 years ago
Suleiman the Great step aside, Sultan Erdogan’s slinky, cowardly, weenie-whinie invasion of Europe will succeed where yours failed.
7 years ago
Reply to
s;vbkr0boc,klos;
Donald Trump should never have phoned to congratulate this Erdogan scumbag! Just very silly. You are right, Erdogan is now virtually a Sultan, a stupid and treacherous one at that. Let’s hope that very quickly he falls on his face.
7 years ago
This move could be more historic than many realize. If Erdogan moves to re-create a version of the Ottoman Islamic caliphate, bringing together a multi-nation middle eastern confederacy in the process, then we could be looking at the man of sin antichrist of prophecy.
I’ve firmly believed for awhile that the antichrist will be the Mahdi (12th Imam) that Islam is expecting, and that the teachings of a re-formed Roman Empire have been simply incorrect.
If this is what is happening, it is very important for believers to understand it, for later, a person posing as Jesus Christ will join the caliphate, extolling Allah and telling the world that he never actually died. If so, he will be very convincing, tempting many professing Christians to question the actual validity of their own salvation, as he promotes Allah and Islam as truth.
If this is getting closer, and if Erdogan is the person, it will be fairly easy to recognize, as worldwide disasters of Revelation will likewise be seen.
If happening, this isn’t a time for fear (for we know and serve the one who is Lord of Lords), but rather is an encouragement for awareness of possible ramifications of Erdogan’s leadership. If he isn’t the person, all the better, but it is always wise to be armed with good knowledge.
7 years ago
Reply to
Lee Hicks
I like your heads up attitude. I have been looking for those very same signs. Many prophecy teachers say he will come out of Turkey. So yes, if he somehow finagles his way into the UN or some other major leadership role in the region then he could be the one however, I do not think he has the personality for it…The one that rises on the world stage will elevate himself as God. Erdogan doesn’t seem like that person…
6 years ago
Reply to
spfg
I understand about Erdogan, and the jury is still out for me regarding him. One thing to keep in mind is that the Antichrist begins as a warlord, making aggressive war for 3 1/2 years. He doesn’t move to his religious phase until the false Christ/false prophet shows up, evidently giving him inspiration to declare himself as literally a physical manifestation of Allah. It could be that this is the time that the Islamic leader becomes demonically possessed by some very powerful demon. One big warning sign will be a 7 year treaty with Israel, which will likely kick off the events of the Tribulation. That’s my perspective, anyhow. Joel Richardson’s books have some very good info regarding the Islamic Antichrist, and are in line with much of what I was already seeing before reading them.
7 years ago
Mine all borders of nations that are shared with turkey, better mine shipping lanes too. It is now time to completely isolate turkey, let it roast by itself.
7 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
Where they are allowed to stay, erdogan has many co-conspirators in his plot to become caliph of western europe.
7 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
Guess this is what the ‘majority’ of the ‘people’ wanted….another king of sheet in a hole. I’m not always happy with the way things go here in the U.S.A., but I’ll be damned if I want to live in any other country.
7 years ago
Reply to
mztore
America is not perfect, compared to any islamic country, it is heaven. One nice thing about America, is there are many options, leaving is one of them, it would help if some ingrates were assisted in exercising that particular one.
7 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
I just wish all those with their hand out that really don’t want to be Americans would just get the heck out….and there are many of them…and I’ve met a few.
7 years ago
Reply to
mztore
What western countries each need, is a department of deportations, that has the authority to immediately and irrevocably deport any person born outside their borders, whether a citizen or not, for any crime or excessive use of welfare.
7 years ago
Was the vote 100% for p`Resident Erdogan?
7 years ago
I feel sorry for some good friends I have in Turkey. Muslim idiots voting FOR tyranny. Ataturk’s free and modern Turkey is dead.
7 years ago
Reply to
Craig
Islum is tyranny, it’s never been anything but tyranny, it’ll never be anything but tyranny.
7 years ago
Erdogan go ahead and go full Hitler w/that mustache! You know you want to!
7 years ago
A democratic vote cannot be used to create a democracy. So, this is a coup, a bloodless one, perhaps, but a coup none-the-less. Democracies vote to elect a leader who will protect an individual’s God-given rights. Suspend all travel from Turkey to civilized countries, especially North America.
7 years ago
Millions of Turks agree with us – You cannot have any kind of democratic government in an islamitic state . Will NATO tolerate a nondemocratic Turkey as being the same turkey that was a member of NATO ?
Validate your 2nd Amendment Rights… Carry
7 years ago
How long will it be before the rest of the world watches Hitler incarnate create problems that could have been stopped at source? Erdogan is a dangerous individual – its not just Turkey who will be in trouble. We already know that the voting was flawed. We know that he has imprisoned his opponents. You have been warned!!
7 years ago
…and Trump called Erdogan to congratulate him on his win!!!
7 years ago
Trump responded as a Statesman should.. And he kept lines of communication OPEN. ALSO a plus.. AND people need to remember.. Trump did not lead America into where we are now. He led his own family.. only. And Trump didn’t choose ANY of the leaders in ANY of the other Countries that HE HAS TO DEAL WITH.. He just has to DEAL WITH whoever IS at the top. LIKE them or not. They exist.
7 years ago
Now I know for sure I will not be returning to Turkey. Read how my Turkish husband and I (an American English teacher and journalist) were attacked by the Turkish police during the 2013 Freedom Protests in Istanbul. See the photo that almost got me arrested in Turkey:
“I Protested for Freedom with Turks”:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U79H5LQ
See my YouTube videos that prove how desperately the Turks need their Ataturk-inspired freedoms back:
Police Attack Tourists in Taksim video:
http://youtu.be/k40L57eCdWI
American Films Protest in Izmit, Turkey video on Youtube:
http://youtu.be/kx9QXGUoPfY
