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Erdogan’s Win Paves the Road Toward Autocracy

By konigludwig on June 25, 2018 • ( 1 )

With Erdogan’s reelection, Turkey faces a future as a purely autocratic state, persecuting political rivals and settling scores

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a referendum meeting in Istanbul. Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Press Service, Pool Photo via AP

With more than 90 percent of the votes counted Sunday night, one could predict with a great deal of certainty that Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be Turkey’s president until 2022 without having to contend in a second round. Judging by the distribution of the votes, Erdogan has preserved his power bases, though Turkey continues to be divided between his supporters and opponents.

His authority under the constitutional amendments approved by the referendum in 2017 and which he could implement from now on would give him unprecedented influence: He could appoint a government (the post of prime minister would be abolished), dissolve parliament with almost no restrictions, intervene in the policy of the central bank, and choose the MPs from his party, since for the first time the president can also be a party member and certainly head of the party, a role that gives him unlimited powers to manage his parliamentary bloc. Erdogan will gain almost complete immunity from prosecution and under the amended constitution it will be almost impossible to impeach him for any reason.

Haaretz