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Another blow for Turkish democracy as Erdogan "wins" referendum

 
 
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 10:34 am
From the BBC.

Quote:
Turkey's referendum campaign was "unequal", with opponents suffering restrictions and state resources being misused, international monitors say.

Late changes in ballot counting marred the vote and removed a key safeguard, they added.

Turkey has called the comments biased. In the referendum, voters gave sweeping new powers to President Erdogan.

The narrow vote was ruled valid by Turkey's electoral body, despite claims of irregularities by the opposition.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's push for an executive presidency succeeded with 51.4% voting for it.
Despite saying that the voting day was "well administered", the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe criticised the campaign, saying:
◾It was an "unlevel playing field" and the two sides of the campaign "did not have equal opportunities"
◾It was unbalanced due to the active involvement of the president and several senior officials
◾It was tarnished by a number of senior officials equating No supporters with terrorist sympathisers
◾Administrative resources were misused
◾Under the state of emergency, essential fundamental freedoms were curtailed
◾Despite some measures, the legal framework remained inadequate for a genuinely democratic referendum

They also criticised a late change by electoral officials that allowed voting papers without official stamps to be counted. They said this move "removed an important safeguard and were contested by the opposition.

But the head of Turkey's electoral body, Sadi Guven, said the unstamped ballot papers had been produced by the High Electoral Board and were valid. He said a similar procedure had been used in past elections.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39622335
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Foofie
 
  0  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 11:58 am
@izzythepush,
Here in the U.S. there was Turkish taffy, also called salt water taffy, I think.

But, on a less serious note, why would anyone think that Turkey would have the stability of France or Britain? It was only Attaturk that modernized the country's thinking. How long ago?
0 Replies
 
ossobucotemp
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 01:17 pm
@izzythepush,
Thanks for posting that.
Grrrr to Erdogan.
I wonder what Orhan Pamuk is think right about now.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 02:34 pm
@ossobucotemp,
He's probably not happy. This isn't good for anyone, it makes Turkey less secular, and closer to fundamentalism. After Ataturk Turkey looked West, towards Europe and America for inspiration, now I think it will move closer to the Arab world, anti democratic, dictatorial. It will affect everything in that sphere from Syria through to dealing with Iran.
ossobucotemp
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 02:41 pm
@izzythepush,
Yep.
Pamuk isn't a crowd fomentar/organizer, not his thing, but I take him as understanding the different areas of Turkey. Wiki isn't bad on him; I just reread it. He's pretty well appreciated re world literature, but I don't know details re if he is appreciated there in Turkey. I think he still teaches off and on at Columbia (New York), not sure.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 03:32 pm
@ossobucotemp,
Erdogan is not very forgiving of his critics. This is an old article hence terms like president elect.

Quote:
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be national security adviser has suggested that Washington should improve its relations with Turkey by extraditing a cleric whom Ankara blames for a coup attempt in July.

Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency whose appointment was announced on November 18, described Fethullah Gulen on his blog site for The Hill newspaper as "a shady Islamic mullah residing in Pennsylvania" who is hiding a "radical Islamist" agenda.

"Gulen's vast global network has all the right markings to fit the description of a dangerous sleeper terror network. From Turkey's point of view, Washington is harboring Turkey's Osama bin Laden," Flynn wrote on election day. "We should not provide him safe haven."

Flynn noted that Gulen followers have been donors to the Clinton Foundation, a global charity headed by the family of Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

"It is time we take a fresh look at the importance of Turkey," he wrote. "We need to adjust our foreign policy to recognize Turkey as a priority. We need to see the world from Turkey's perspective."

In light of Flynn's comments, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed Trump's victory as a "new era" in Ankara's relations with Washington and has stepped up demands that Gulen be immediately handed over since the November 8 election.

The Obama White House, to Erdogan's frustration, has said it will let the Justice Department decide whether there is any legal merit in Turkey's extradition request in what likely would be a long, bureaucratic process.

Gulen has never been charged with a crime in the United States, and he has consistently denounced terrorism, as well as the failed coup in Turkey, as have the schools and charitable organizations associated with him.

One of Gulen's lawyers, Jason Weinstein, called Flynn's comments about Gulen "troubling," but expressed confidence that the United States will continue to handle the matter fairly.

"We hope and expect that the law will be followed here and that politics will not interfere with the judgment of career officials at [the Justice Department]. If the law is followed, then we are confident that Mr. Gulen will not be returned to Turkey, where he is certain to be subject to torture, a sham trial, and execution," Weinstein said.


http://www.rferl.org/a/trump-adviser-flynn-wants-extradite-turkish-cleric-gulen-turkey-erdogan-blamed-coup-attempt/28127523.html
izzythepush
 
  2  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 03:46 pm
Relations are even stickier here, current foreign secretary and ex Spectator editor Boris Johnson won an anti Erdogan poetry prize run by the Spectator, (surprise surprise,) for this bit of doggerel.

There was a young fellow from Ankara

Who was a terrific wankerer

Till he sowed his wild oats

With the help of a goat

But he didn’t even stop to thankera.
0 Replies
 
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 03:57 pm
It's not taken long for Erdogan to adopt the manner of an autocratic monarch.

Quote:
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected criticism by monitors who say the referendum campaign fell short of international standards.

"Know your place," he said, adding that he did not accept the comments.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39622335
ossobucotemp
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 04:56 pm
@izzythepush,
Right-o. I've been following Erdogan, in my desultory way, for what has been adding up to some years.

Ugh, re your quote from Flynn. Pure Erdogan.
0 Replies
 
ossobucotemp
 
  1  
Reply Mon 17 Apr, 2017 05:03 pm
@izzythepush,
I took him as already autocratic. Now it'll be worse.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Tue 18 Apr, 2017 01:25 am
@ossobucotemp,
A lot worse, the same as if Trump controlled the Supreme Court and both Congress and the Senate.
0 Replies
 
saab
 
  2  
Reply Tue 18 Apr, 2017 02:23 am
About 50% of the Turks living in Germany went woting and the majority woted for Erdogan. In one city even 72%.
It is amazing as they live in a democracy and vote against it.
Sweden was one of the few countries where the Turks voted against Erdogan.
In Denmark the majority voted for Erdogan.
saab
 
  1  
Reply Tue 18 Apr, 2017 02:50 am
@saab,
Adll that with percentage often gives a false result.
50% of the Turks in Germany voted for Erdogan. Of these the majority voted for him, but that still comes out as the majority is against him.
When the negativ result is shown and the number who did not vote is not really mentioned one gets a false picture of the Turks in Germany. Better than the media shows.
Regarding Sweden I did oog get the actual numbers - just the fine result.
Good exampel of how things are manipulated.
saab
 
  2  
Reply Tue 18 Apr, 2017 03:56 am
@saab,
Me and mycounting
50% of the Turks in Germany voted and the majority voted for Erdogan.
But when you count 100% Turks it comes out the minority voted for Erdogan
0 Replies
 
 

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