04-16-2017, 03:54 PM
This article offers some backstory on the Erdogan's referendum. Any historical echoes here?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/10/turkish-referendum-all-you-need-to-know?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
What exactly will people be voting on?
The 18 amendments primarily deal with the powers of the executive and legislative branches. They include:
Yes, and the environment in which the referendum is taking place is extremely challenging, particularly for those who oppose the changes.
The state of emergency was introduced last summer after a failed coup attempt in which 248 people were killed and more than 1,400 injured. The coup is widely believed in Turkey to have been orchestrated by followers of Fethullah Gülen, a reclusive preacher based in the US with a global grassroots movement known as Cemaat or Hizmet. Gülen denies this.
A purge of the civil service, police, military, judiciary, academia and media organisations has led to the dismissal or arrest of tens of thousands of people accused of links to the Gülenists. Erdoğan’s opponents say the purges have gone far beyond the coup’s perpetrators, and have turned into a witch-hunt against any political opposition.
So far, 152 journalists are in jail in Turkey, according to opposition parties, and a wide-ranging crackdown on the opposition People’s Democratic party (HDP) has resulted in a dozen of their lawmakers being detained, including their two chiefs.
Turkey has also endured a slew of terror attacks by Islamic State, the latest of which was an assault on the Reina nightclub on New Year’s Eve that killed 39 people. Attacks by the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), a designated terror group fighting an insurgency in the south-east, have continued after the collapse of peace talks in June 2015.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/10/turkish-referendum-all-you-need-to-know?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
What exactly will people be voting on?
The 18 amendments primarily deal with the powers of the executive and legislative branches. They include:
- The abolition of the post of prime minister. The president will appoint the cabinet and will have a number of vice-presidents. Parliament will no longer oversee the ministers as their power to initiate a motion of no confidence will be removed.
- The president will no longer have to be neutral, but will be able to maintain an affiliation to his political party. Currently the president has to sever ties with his party once he is elected.
- The number of members of parliament will be increased from 550 to 600 and their minimum age lowered to 18.
- It will be possible for the president to be impeached by parliament. At the moment he could only be prosecuted by the legislature if he committed treason.
- The abolition of military courts.
- The president will be able to appoint four out of 13 judges to the highest judicial board in the country.
Yes, and the environment in which the referendum is taking place is extremely challenging, particularly for those who oppose the changes.
The state of emergency was introduced last summer after a failed coup attempt in which 248 people were killed and more than 1,400 injured. The coup is widely believed in Turkey to have been orchestrated by followers of Fethullah Gülen, a reclusive preacher based in the US with a global grassroots movement known as Cemaat or Hizmet. Gülen denies this.
A purge of the civil service, police, military, judiciary, academia and media organisations has led to the dismissal or arrest of tens of thousands of people accused of links to the Gülenists. Erdoğan’s opponents say the purges have gone far beyond the coup’s perpetrators, and have turned into a witch-hunt against any political opposition.
So far, 152 journalists are in jail in Turkey, according to opposition parties, and a wide-ranging crackdown on the opposition People’s Democratic party (HDP) has resulted in a dozen of their lawmakers being detained, including their two chiefs.
Turkey has also endured a slew of terror attacks by Islamic State, the latest of which was an assault on the Reina nightclub on New Year’s Eve that killed 39 people. Attacks by the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), a designated terror group fighting an insurgency in the south-east, have continued after the collapse of peace talks in June 2015.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
