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Erdogan wins sweeping new powers after Turkish election victory

By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Nevzat Devranoglu

 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters gathered in front of AKP headquarters in Ankara, Turkey June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

 

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan won sweeping new executive powers on Monday after his victory in elections that also saw his Islamist-rooted AK Party and its nationalist allies secure a majority in parliament.

 

Erdogan's main rival, Muharrem Ince of the Republican People's Party (CHP), conceded defeat but branded the elections unjust and said the presidential system that now takes effect was "very dangerous" because it would lead to one-man rule.

 

A European rights watchdog also said the opposition had faced "unequal conditions", adding that restrictions on media freedom to cover the elections were accentuated by a continuing state of emergency imposed in Turkey after a failed 2016 coup.

 

Erdogan, 64, the most popular - yet divisive - leader in modern Turkish history, told jubilant, flag-waving supporters there would be no retreat from his drive to transform Turkey, a NATO member and, at least nominally, a candidate to join the European Union.

 

He is loved by millions of devoutly Muslim working class Turks for delivering years of stellar economic growth and overseeing the construction of roads, bridges, airports, hospitals and schools.

 

But his critics, including rights groups, accuse him of destroying the independence of the courts and press freedoms. A crackdown launched after the coup has seen 160,000 people detained, and the state of emergency allows Erdogan to bypass parliament with decrees. He says it will be lifted soon.

 

Erdogan and the AK Party claimed victory in Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections after defeating a revitalised opposition that had looked capable of staging an upset.

 

"It is out of the question for us to turn back from where we've brought our country in terms of democracy and the economy," Erdogan said on Sunday night.

 

His victory means he will remain president at least until 2023 - the centenary of the founding of the Turkish republic on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Erdogan's foes accuse him of dismantling Ataturk's secular legacy by bringing religion back into public life.

 

Erdogan responds to such criticism by saying he is trying to modernise Turkey and improve religious freedoms.

 

With virtually all votes counted, Erdogan had 53 percent against Ince's 31 percent, while in the parliamentary vote the AKP took 42.5 percent and its MHP nationalist allies secured 11 percent, outstripping expectations.

 

Turkish financial markets initially rallied on hopes of increased political stability as investors had feared deadlock between Erdogan and the opposition, if it had gained control of parliament. However, they then retreated due to concerns about future monetary policy.

(For a graphic on election results

 

"MAJOR DANGER"

The vote ushers in a powerful executive presidency backed by a narrow majority in a 2017 referendum. The office of prime minister will be abolished and Erdogan will be able to issue decrees to form and regulate ministries and remove civil servants, all without parliamentary approval.

 

"The new regime that takes effect from today is a major danger for Turkey... We have now fully adopted a regime of one-man rule," Ince, a veteran CHP lawmaker, told a news conference.

 

The secularist CHP draws support broadly from Turkey's urban, educated middle class. It won 23 percent in the new parliament and the pro-Kurdish HDP nearly 12 percent, above the 10 percent threshold needed to win seats.

 

The HDP's presidential candidate, Selahattin Demirtas, campaigned from prison, where he is detained on terrorism charges that he denies. He faces a 142 year sentence if convicted.

 

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a rights watchdog, said high voter turnout, at nearly 87 percent, demonstrated Turks' commitment to democracy. But the OSCE also cited some irregularities and echoed opposition complaints about heavy media bias in favour of Erdogan and the AKP.

 

"The restrictions we have seen on fundamental freedoms (due to the state of emergency) have had an impact on these elections," Ignacio Sanchez Amor, head of the OSCE observer mission, told a news conference.

 

Erdogan's MHP allies take a hard line on the Kurdish issue, making it less likely that he will soften his approach to security issues in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey and neighbouring Syria and Iraq, where Turkish forces are battling Kurdish militants.

 

The Turkish lira and stocks sagged after initial gains, and economists said the outlook was uncertain.

 

The lira is down about 19 percent since January and investors fear Erdogan, a self-declared "enemy of interest rates", may pressure the central bank to cut recently raised borrowing costs to stimulate economic growth despite double-digit inflation.

 

Seeking to reassure investors, Erdogan's chief economic adviser, Cemil Ertem, told Reuters the new government would focus on economic reforms and budget discipline. He added that the central bank's independence was fundamental.

 

The European Commission said it hoped Erdogan would remain a committed partner for the EU on migration, security, regional stability and the fight against terrorism.

 

Turkey's EU accession bid stalled some time ago amid disputes on a range of issues, including Ankara's human rights record, especially since the post-coup crackdown.

 

In a message to Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the importance of "a stable and pluralistic Turkey in which democratic participation and the protection of the rule of law is strengthened", her office said.

 

In phone calls with Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May called for cooperation with Turkey in ending the Syrian conflict.

 

(Reporting by Turkey bureau; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Heinrich and David Stamp)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-26

[canuckamuck]

Am I mistaken, or authoritarianism on the rise these days?

Obviously it is the best system for the top level people, but it never ends well.

[BobBKK]

I'm shocked that they would choose this guy but that's democracy for ya!

[ezzra]

There's a man, a cantankerous man, a leader of 80 million people who has hatred and disdain in his heart for Europe for not letting him in the EU, the Kurds and Assad of Syria, to Israel for obvious reasons, how can a man like this is allowed even to be in a government let alone having supreme and unlimited powers virtually to do whatever he want

now that he has been elected again?...

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

I'm shocked that they would choose this guy but that's democracy for ya!

Erdogan had opponents arrested and muzzled the media. Is that your idea of democracy?

Edited June 26, 2018 by bristolboy

[sammieuk1]

Now here's a master of theft corruption lying coup faking the generals need to visit him to see how its done this man is a turd  and the Turks that are not behind bars are as thick a voter as you can ever find the Sultan of a $3 billion palace is born laughing all the way to the Swiss bank. 

[Baerboxer]

49 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Now here's a master of theft corruption lying coup faking the generals need to visit him to see how its done this man is a turd  and the Turks that are not behind bars are as thick a voter as you can ever find the Sultan of a $3 billion palace is born laughing all the way to the Swiss bank. 

 

I don't disagree with you. But he's seemingly a very influential and popular turd. 

 

I saw a live YouTube clip from Thiers in France yesterday. The French people who posted it were outraged. Turks living in the Thiers area had driven into the town center and were blocking the route national with their celebration of Erdogan's victory. They had cars parked draped with Turkish flags, were marching down the road singing several abreast with linked arms, waving flags at people, had very loud Turkish music playing and took no notice of the couple of police who turned up. Some were even jumping on car bonnets and roofs. A person commentated that is was similar in Cleremont.

 

I like France and enjoyed working there. French people are, in the main, very tolerant and welcoming. But having this forced down their throat, having a main road blocked by foreigners celebrating an election in their home country, was too much for many who comments accordingly. Expect a much more aggressive attitude from large Turkish communities in EU countries, which the Erdogan regime will stoke up. 

[Stargeezr]

Turkey, you voted in this tyrant, so the Government that you have now, is the

government you deserve!

Geezer

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

I don't disagree with you. But he's seemingly a very influential and popular turd. 

 

I saw a live YouTube clip from Thiers in France yesterday. The French people who posted it were outraged. Turks living in the Thiers area had driven into the town center and were blocking the route national with their celebration of Erdogan's victory. They had cars parked draped with Turkish flags, were marching down the road singing several abreast with linked arms, waving flags at people, had very loud Turkish music playing and took no notice of the couple of police who turned up. Some were even jumping on car bonnets and roofs. A person commentated that is was similar in Cleremont.

 

I like France and enjoyed working there. French people are, in the main, very tolerant and welcoming. But having this forced down their throat, having a main road blocked by foreigners celebrating an election in their home country, was too much for many who comments accordingly. Expect a much more aggressive attitude from large Turkish communities in EU countries, which the Erdogan regime will stoke up. 

Except that he's supressed the media so the opposition has a very hard time making its case hears. Despite which, he only got 53% of the vote.

[sammieuk1]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

I don't disagree with you. But he's seemingly a very influential and popular turd. 

 

I saw a live YouTube clip from Thiers in France yesterday. The French people who posted it were outraged. Turks living in the Thiers area had driven into the town center and were blocking the route national with their celebration of Erdogan's victory. They had cars parked draped with Turkish flags, were marching down the road singing several abreast with linked arms, waving flags at people, had very loud Turkish music playing and took no notice of the couple of police who turned up. Some were even jumping on car bonnets and roofs. A person commentated that is was similar in Cleremont.

 

I like France and enjoyed working there. French people are, in the main, very tolerant and welcoming. But having this forced down their throat, having a main road blocked by foreigners celebrating an election in their home country, was too much for many who comments accordingly. Expect a much more aggressive attitude from large Turkish communities in EU countries, which the Erdogan regime will stoke up. 

He owns the media controls the TV shuts down the internet at will owns the newspapers eliminates all dissent by jailing blames a cleric living in the USA fakes his own coup to give himself special powers builds himself AK Saray a $3 billion palace gets banged to rights stealing millions in shoeboxes gets caught out suppling ISIS with weapons marked medical supply's to take care of the souths Kurdish problem.

 

I did 10 years there and watched it turn from the 18th century to the middle ages and now urge any Brits living there to get you and your cash out asap it will be a disaster as this Friday Muslim Sultan turd try's to crush the Kurds his holy grail.     

[Morch]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

I don't disagree with you. But he's seemingly a very influential and popular turd. 

 

I saw a live YouTube clip from Thiers in France yesterday. The French people who posted it were outraged. Turks living in the Thiers area had driven into the town center and were blocking the route national with their celebration of Erdogan's victory. They had cars parked draped with Turkish flags, were marching down the road singing several abreast with linked arms, waving flags at people, had very loud Turkish music playing and took no notice of the couple of police who turned up. Some were even jumping on car bonnets and roofs. A person commentated that is was similar in Cleremont.

 

I like France and enjoyed working there. French people are, in the main, very tolerant and welcoming. But having this forced down their throat, having a main road blocked by foreigners celebrating an election in their home country, was too much for many who comments accordingly. Expect a much more aggressive attitude from large Turkish communities in EU countries, which the Erdogan regime will stoke up. 

 

Generally speaking, do Turks living in Europe overwhelmingly support Erdogan? As far as I recall, somewhat more mixed than suggested. Probably without the media/political restrictions in place, opposition could have a stronger showing than in the recent elections. Then there are also quite a few Kurds around....

[JemJem]

Okay, let me write a few things, as a Turkish person.

 

Some people have already mentioned or implied in this thread that this election was far from being free and fair. Of course it was ! Has anyone actually expected it to be otherwise ? The way Erdogan has led the country, especially in the last 3-4 years, was shameful and often depended on lies and manipulation. And, of course on  muzzling freedom of expression.

 

Not only the state channel, TRT, but also almost all the private TV channels in Turkey have been under his control for quite some time. They gave the opposition extremely little air space, as compared to Erdogan, in the weeks leading to the election.

 

And, there are many reports of voting fraud and irregularities. My guess is that he would still have won the Presidential ballot but only in the second round and it would probably be a close win. There is no way that his first round win is a fair one.

 

As for the Parliament ballot, I also think this was achieved via voting fraud. Mind you, as most of you probably know, the whole system has changed in Turkey recently. The parliament's role has been minimised. The President will be able to do almost anything he wants.

 

What is awaiting Turkey ? There is 99 percent chance that even darker times will be coming. There is hardly any example of a leader in the whole world, who suddenly or gradually changes from being authoritarian (in Erdogan's case, even the word 'authoritarian' seems light) to being someone respecting democracy, rule of law and human rights. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Now, you might ask 'Why does he have a lot of support ?'. Let's say his REAL percentage is not 52, but around 45. That is still a huge number, considering the bad stuff that has happened in Turkey in recent years. Why  then ? Well, the answer is : 1) Religion (and also nationalism, which he also has started using recently) sells in Turkey. Unfortunately, this is the case  2) He has a big demographical advantage. His core base consists of mainly relatively poor, uneducated and conservative people, who can mostly very easily be controlled and influenced. As you can imagine, also, these people tend to make a lot of children and raise them in a conservative manner.

 

What will the West do if Erdogan starts to get even more authoritarian ? Basically nothing, except 'express concern' every now and then. For them, the important thing is to make sure the flow of refugees via Turkey is minimised (remember that refugee agreement between the EU and Erdogan ?) and to make sure various business and military deals continue to be made. They don't care if secularism is under threat in Turkey; they don't care if opposition politicians and activists languish in jails; they don't care if innocent people in Syria and Iraq get killed by the jihadi and semi-jihadi proxies of Erdogan.

 

That is the situation. A very gloomy one.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by JemJem

[Morch]

On 6/26/2018 at 11:51 PM, JemJem said:

Okay, let me write a few things, as a Turkish person.

 

Some people have already mentioned or implied in this thread that this election was far from being free and fair. Of course it was ! Has anyone actually expected it to be otherwise ? The way Erdogan has led the country, especially in the last 3-4 years, was shameful and often depended on lies and manipulation. And, of course on  muzzling freedom of expression.

 

Not only the state channel, TRT, but also almost all the private TV channels in Turkey have been under his control for quite some time. They gave the opposition extremely little air space, as compared to Erdogan, in the weeks leading to the election.

 

And, there are many reports of voting fraud and irregularities. My guess is that he would still have won the Presidential ballot but only in the second round and it would probably be a close win. There is no way that his first round win is a fair one.

 

As for the Parliament ballot, I also think this was achieved via voting fraud. Mind you, as most of you probably know, the whole system has changed in Turkey recently. The parliament's role has been minimised. The President will be able to do almost anything he wants.

 

What is awaiting Turkey ? There is 99 percent chance that even darker times will be coming. There is hardly any example of a leader in the whole world, who suddenly or gradually changes from being authoritarian (in Erdogan's case, even the word 'authoritarian' seems light) to being someone respecting democracy, rule of law and human rights. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Now, you might ask 'Why does he have a lot of support ?'. Let's say his REAL percentage is not 52, but around 45. That is still a huge number, considering the bad stuff that has happened in Turkey in recent years. Why  then ? Well, the answer is : 1) Religion (and also nationalism, which he also has started using recently) sells in Turkey. Unfortunately, this is the case  2) He has a big demographical advantage. His core base consists of mainly relatively poor, uneducated and conservative people, who can mostly very easily be controlled and influenced. As you can imagine, also, these people tend to make a lot of children and raise them in a conservative manner.

 

What will the West do if Erdogan starts to get even more authoritarian ? Basically nothing, except 'express concern' every now and then. For them, the important thing is to make sure the flow of refugees via Turkey is minimised (remember that refugee agreement between the EU and Erdogan ?) and to make sure various business and military deals continue to be made. They don't care if secularism is under threat in Turkey; they don't care if opposition politicians and activists languish in jails; they don't care if innocent people in Syria and Iraq get killed by the jihadi and semi-jihadi proxies of Erdogan.

 

That is the situation. A very gloomy one.

 

 

 

Partly due to Erdogan's ongoing campaigns against the opposition, and partly because that's the way it is - quite a few of Erdogan's rivals aren't all that great themselves (in terms of agenda, policies, conduct). Not as bad, or not as poised to act on their beliefs, but still. Their main attraction seems to be that they aren't him.

 

Them comments about "the West" are a feature. Still not sure what it's all about. There is no unified "West". And it is not necessarily in a position to "do" anything about it. The "West" is not all powerful, and whether posters like to accept it or not, countries and governments are usually beholden to protect their and their people's interests first. Playing the "caring" card is all very well, but this is more about dealing with things from a realistic point of view.

 

 

[Opl]

So…

Education in the big Turkish cities is higher than the level in Anatolia and they vote less for Erdogan

Are Turkish immigrants in Europe generally less educated than the average Turks in Turkey and therefore vote like the Anatolians ...? Erdogan was re-elected with an absolute majority obtained partly thanks to the votes of the Turks established in Europe. according to the daily Hürriyet :

- in Germany, where the Turks are the most represented with 3 million people, 65% of the 627 000 voters voted for Erdogan. 

- A figure comparable to that observed in France, where 63.9% of Turks who went to the polls (151,000 voters on about one million Turks) also voted for him. 

- In Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria, the "reis" scores are exploding, with 74.9%, 72.8% and 72.1% of the voters. 

- in Switzerland, where Erdogan comes first with 37.9% of the vote, 6% more than Muharram İnce, his main opponent.

- In other European countries, Erdogan does not reach first place. He is second in Italy (31.9%), Spain (17.7%), Poland (18.8%) and the Czech Republic (11%), where Turks are poorly represented, and third in the UK The United Kingdom, where they are numerous (39,000 voters), with 21.5% of the votes

Edited June 28, 2018 by Opl

[JemJem]

6 hours ago, Opl said:

So…

Education in the big Turkish cities is higher than the level in Anatolia and they vote less for Erdogan

Are Turkish immigrants in Europe generally less educated than the average Turks in Turkey and therefore vote like the Anatolians ...? Erdogan was re-elected with an absolute majority obtained partly thanks to the votes of the Turks established in Europe. according to the daily Hürriyet :

- in Germany, where the Turks are the most represented with 3 million people, 65% of the 627 000 voters voted for Erdogan. 

- A figure comparable to that observed in France, where 63.9% of Turks who went to the polls (151,000 voters on about one million Turks) also voted for him. 

- In Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria, the "reis" scores are exploding, with 74.9%, 72.8% and 72.1% of the voters. 

- in Switzerland, where Erdogan comes first with 37.9% of the vote, 6% more than Muharram İnce, his main opponent.

- In other European countries, Erdogan does not reach first place. He is second in Italy (31.9%), Spain (17.7%), Poland (18.8%) and the Czech Republic (11%), where Turks are poorly represented, and third in the UK The United Kingdom, where they are numerous (39,000 voters), with 21.5% of the votes

 Yes. Their education and intellectual level is far below of what you would normally expect from immigrants who settled in the West quite some time ago. I will leave the analysis to sociological experts, but really, I am sadly not surprised anymore that the majority of Turks in countries like Germany, Holland and Belgium give support to Erdogan. Family influence ? Yes. The fact that they mostly live in ghettos and are away from the culture of their adopted countries ? Yes.

 

Also, the fact that Muslim people MOSTLY find it more difficult to adapt to Western ways ? Probably yes. I am agnostic (always have been), but around me (in central Istanbul) are secular Muslims, who wouldn't have any problem at all adapting to life in the West. But, keep in mind that sadly most Muslims in Turkey are not like that.

 

And, Morch, in his comments above, is right. Unfortunately this is the case. The West doesn't have any obligation to save Turkey from the Islamist regime. But the hypocrisy of them at times is puzzling and annoying. I am sure you know what I mean.

[Expatthailover]

Another anti democracy despot wins.

Trump will be emboldened.

Someone else who hates free press like his boss putin

[Opl]

 European countries seem to have accepted that education and, more generally, the social and cultural referents of the Turks of Europe remain the affair of Turkey alone. This is a problem that goes beyond the case of Turkey but the concern is real with Erdogan who controls this diaspora. The result is an extreme communautarism that largely prevents the integration of Turks in Europe. By banning Erdogan's electoral meetings, some European host countries now understand what is going on