President Tweety ignores his favorite conspiracy notion, voter fraud, and congratulates the Turkish President Erdogan on wining a referendum for his increased powers to govern, moving Turkey toward a dictatorship. Now there appears just one Western leader in the World pushing hardest for democracy in governing, Angel Merkel, Germany. As far as we know, Merkel is the only Western leader calling Erdogan to suggest he talk to the opposition to enable a democracy to prevail in Turkey.
"CNN Exclusive: Erdogan insists Turkey reforms don't make him a dictator"
By Becky Anderson and James Masters, CNN
Updated 11:44 PM ET, Tue April 18, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/18/europe/erdogan-turkey-interview/
"Ankara (CNN)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that his plans to assume sweeping new powers do not make him a dictator."
Really?
"Under the revised constitution, Erdogan will be able to abolish the post of Prime Minister and assume broad new powers to rule by decree. The new arrangements give him the power to appoint a cabinet and some senior judges. The power of Parliament to scrutinize legislation is curbed.
Erdogan has already transformed a largely ceremonial office into a strong powerbase, instituting a widespread crackdown on dissent that intensified after a failed coup last year. More than 47,000 people have been arrested since the foiled coup, and nearly 200 journalists are behind bars."
More . . .
"The margin of victory for the "Yes" vote was razor-thin. Despite a state of emergency and a widespread crackdown on dissent, Erdogan succeeded in persuading only 51.4% of voters to back the constitutional reforms."
"Yes" voters believe Turkey's future will be safer and more prosperous with a strong leader at the helm. But many "No" voters saw the referendum as a power-hungry leader's attempt to cement his position. On Monday, international election monitors delivered a scathing verdict on the conduct of the referendum. Representatives from a coalition of international bodies said the vote took place on an "unlevel playing field," with the "yes" campaign dominating media coverage."
Perhaps Tweety is being tactical to congratulate Erdogan?
"Unlike European leaders who expressed reservations about the referendum, US President Donald Trump telephoned Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory. The call was well received by Erdogan, who suggested taking things further.
"It would be better to have (a) face-to-face meeting and take our relationship forward," he said.
As a member of NATO and a key bridge between the Middle East and Europe, Turkey is an important but difficult ally in the efforts to combat ISIS, and to stem the migrant flow from Syria. Turkey is sheltering around 3 million refugees from Syria, and is keen to see a resolution to the conflict on its doorstep.
Asked if he felt US and Turkey could work together, Erdogan said: "The way President Trump is approaching these matters makes us happy. US and Turkey as allies... we can resolve significant problems. We do not have any difficulties on that front.""
"Turkey slides closer to a dictatorship"
By Jennifer Rubin By Jennifer Rubin
April 17, 2017
Tweety, are you not concerned about voter fraud in other democracies?
"Former ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman tells me, “It is hard to know exactly how much fraud took place during Sunday’s referendum.” He explains, “Well into the count, the Higher Election Commission changed the rules and allowed ballots that lacked the official seal to be counted. This has been grounds for voiding some election results in the past in Turkey.” He point out, “The head of the commission initially said some 2.5 million votes were cast that way and subsequently said he had no idea how many such ballots were cast.” Can we say Erdogan would have lost had the voting followed international standards? “Given the narrow margin, one cannot exclude that this along with other irregularities may have made the difference in the outcome, but it is premature to reach that judgment now,” says Edelman."
"Turkey’s Elected Dictator"
By Alon Ben-Meir
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alon-benmeir/turkeys-elected-dictator_b_11093160.html
"Even before the failed military coup, Turkey’s President Erdogan governed like a dictator who had the last word on all state matters. The botched coup was nothing but, as he put it, “a gift from God” to purge what is left of Turkey’s democracy and cleanse the army and judiciary in order to ensure the total subordination of all institutions to his whims."
More . . .
"His staying power, however, is attributed to his uncanny ability to appeal to the underclass and his success in delivering the “goods” that nearly half of the population was in dire need of, including access to health care, improved infrastructure, job opportunities, and the promotion of Islamic values (in a manner that was unacceptable in the past) with which ordinary Turks could identify.
The nearly 50 percent of the population who benefited directly from these reforms and became ardent supporters of Erdogan were not concerned about the trampling of democratic rule, even though he has systematically robbed them of any rights that a democracy provides. Nevertheless, tens of thousands heeded his call to go out to the streets to confront the military, and did so at grave risk to their lives.
In fact, one of the main reasons behind the coup was to stop Erdogan from completely destroying Turkey’s remaining secular and democratic pillars, which were established by Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923."
More . . .
"Turkey’s role in hosting nearly 2.5 million Syrian refugees and its ability to either stem the flow, or open up the gates to allow refugees to flood European cities further strengthened Erdogan’s hand.
He successfully exploited the EU’s deep concerns over the refugee crisis by making a deal that provides Turkey several major benefits that outweighed its obligations. The keystone of the deal is that migrants crossing from Turkey into Greece will be sent back, and for each Syrian returned to Turkey, a Syrian refugee will be resettled in the EU.
In return, Turkish nationals would have access to the Schengen passport-free zone while the EU fast-tracked the allocation of €6bn ($6.6 billion) in aid to Turkey to help migrants, and to “energize” Ankara’s bid to join the EU."
More . . .
"The US cannot afford any member of NATO to squash all democratic rules with no consequences. Moreover, Erdogan has demonstrated time and again a lack of loyalty and commitment as a NATO member.
Turkey should be put on notice, as Secretary of State John Kerry recently stated that NATO has a “requirement with respect to democracy... Obviously, a lot of people have been arrested very quickly.” He grimly added, “Hopefully we can work in a constructive way to prevent backsliding.”
Moreover, Erdogan should be warned that Turkey’s prospect of becoming an EU member will be a thing of the past if he continues to grossly undermine the principles of democratic governance, including the complete subordination of the judiciary to his political agenda."
It might not all be bad . . .
"We need to stop being hysterical about President Erdogan – he is not all Turkey has to offer"
Turkey has a customs union with the EU that’s unlikely to go away any time soon – something that’s not the case for every country now, is it?
Josie Cox, 22 April 2017
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/turkey-president-erdogan-referendum-travel-economy-a7696531.html
"We live in a world where terrorism has become commonplace, economic distress and market turmoil the norm, and world leaders profoundly and terrifyingly divisive. But we must stop reducing countries to their faults. Not the UK, not the US and certainly not Turkey,"
