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Turkish President May Receive Increased Power
The Associated Press via CBC reports on preliminary results of a referendum held in Turkey on whether the powers of the president should be increased:
With 99 per cent of the ballots counted, the "yes" vote stood at 51.37 per cent, while the "no" vote was 48.63 per cent, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The head of Turkey's electoral board confirmed the "yes" victory and said final results will be declared in 11-12 days.
BBC News quotes the leader of an opposing party:
The main opposition, the Republican People's Party (CHP), has called for a recount.
Deputy leader Bulent Tezcan denounced "violations" in the electoral process. "We will pursue a legal battle. If the irregularities are not fixed, there will be a serious legitimacy discussion," he said.
additional coverage:
- NPR
- BBC News
- Reuters
- CNN (editorial)
- New York Times
- Foreign Policy blog (editorial)
Turkish Electorate Appears to Choose Dictatorship; Opposition Cries Foul
Common Dreams reports Erdoğan Claims Ultimate Power in Turkey After Nearly Split Vote.
As one opponent of the referendum noted: "Threats, oppression, imprisonment, censorship, defamation--and yet half of the people of Turkey voted" against.
In a very close--and closely watched--referendum vote, Turks on [April 16] handed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan what many say is authoritarian rule.
With more than 99 percent of ballots counted, Erdoğan claimed a win with 51.36 percent voting in favor of the referendum and 48.64 voting against.
However, the Guardian reported,
disparities persisted into Sunday evening, with the opposition saying not all ballots had been counted and they would contest a third of the votes that had been cast. [Sadi Guven, the head of Turkey's high electoral board, or YSK] said the YSK had decided to consider unstamped ballots as valid unless they were proved to be fraudulent after a high number of complaints--including one from the ruling AK Party--that its officials had failed to stamp some ballot papers.
The No campaign said the YSK's last-minute decision raised questions about the validity of the vote.
TheFederalistPapers.org reports Turkey Votes To Turn Itself Into An Islamic Dictatorship.
Turkey's new dictator, President Recip Tayyip Erdoğan claimed victory in Sunday's vote on whether he should essentially take almost complete control over the country.
The opposition has said they would contest the election, citing rampant voter fraud, but the election is no less stunning.
Turkey is a member of NATO and a crucial ally (sometimes) in the fight against terrorism.
[...] If the results are upheld, it gives Turkey's government--with Erdoğan at the helm--widespread authority to scrap the centuries-old parliamentary system, replacing it with a presidential model. It would concentrate massive power in the hands of the president who has recently jailed opponents and cracked down on dissent.
Erdoğan will be able to appoint senior judges, declare a state of emergency, dissolve parliament, and in some cases issue new laws be [decreed].
It will also theoretically allow Erdoğan, who has dominated Turkish politics as president and prime minister since 2003, to stay in office until 2029.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday April 19 2017, @01:04PM (2 children)
Don't be surprised if they get kicked out.
That could set a dangerous president and I'm not sure they would want to go there. No country has ever been kicked out of NATO before, sure there has to be a first time for everything. France left once but then later rejoined. It is a matter of defence, you can't start a war and then when shit goes bad run crying to NATO and demand protection. If they would I'm fairly sure NATO would collapse in its current form as I would suspect a lot of members just wouldn't show up.
That said tho there are probably a lot of countries that don't really fit into NATO that are currently members, they don't have the military power or the money to back up an actual membership. Most of them are let in for geographical and strategic reasons. Montenegro is apparently going to be the next NATO country. Not really quite sure what to say about that. They don't have a large military (their entire defence force is about 2000 men), they don't have any money and geographically they don't really add anything. So I'm not really sure why they are even let in except as some form of "thank you" or as a bribe.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 19 2017, @03:18PM
Montenegro could be let in because other NATO members don't want to see them 'annexed' by another power hostile to NATO members.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @02:28AM
That could set a dangerous president
No, no no! They already have one! It's ve-e-ery nice-a! You have committed an egg-corn, like the nuts on the mighty Oak tree. The word you were looking for is precedent [lascribe.net]. Remember, spelling and grammar and correct language are very important in retraining the reputation of SoylentNews as a reliable source of fake news. Thank you for your cooperation.