There is no doubt in my mind at all that Erdogan staged his own coup. Everything about it stinks like this. He has also just managed to get so much power in Turkey that no Democracy can ever exist while Erdogan is still alive and mentally functioning in Turkey. That Trump would congratulate the end of the Turkish Democracy makes one wonder what Trump has in mind for the U.S. (The end of the U.S. Democracy too?)
begin quote from:
Trump stands out in congratulating Turkish President
Story highlights
- Few other world leaders have congratulated Erdogan
- Europe warns Turkey against repression of opposition
(CNN)US President Donald Trump has become the first Western leader to congratulate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for winning a controversial referendum that grants him far-reaching, largely unchecked powers.
Trump called the Turkish leader on Monday shortly after international monitors delivered a harsh verdict on the referendum
on constitutional changes. They found that the opposition campaign had
been restricted and the media coverage was imbalanced, and that the
electoral authority had unfairly changed the rules after polls had
opened.
Trump
joins a short list of leaders who have openly congratulated Erdogan,
including Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Saudi King Salman.
His
congratulations stands in stark contrast to the more cautious tone
adopted by European leaders and a statement issued by the US State
Department, which acknowledged the results but warned against further
repression by the Turkish government of the political opposition.
"We
look to the government of Turkey to protect the fundamental rights and
freedoms of all its citizens -- regardless of their vote on April 16 --
as guaranteed by the Turkish constitution and in accordance with
Turkey's international commitments," the State Department said in a
statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and US President Donald Trump.
"Democracies gain strength through respect for diverse points of view, especially on difficult issues."
The
Turkish government has been widely condemned by Western nations for its
repression of opposition figures following a failed military coup last
year.
Europe sends warnings
European governments struck a more cautious note.
"The
tight referendum result shows how deeply divided Turkish society is and
that means a big responsibility for the Turkish leadership and for
President Erdogan personally," Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a joint statement, calling for a
"respectful dialogue" in Ankara with the opposition and all parts of
Turkish society.
Turkey referendum: Related content
Erdogan's
margin of victory in the referendum was razor-thin. Despite a state of
emergency and a widespread crackdown on dissent, he succeeded in
persuading only 51.4% of voters to back his constitutional upheaval.
The
French government said it would "follow with great care" the
international monitors' final report in coming weeks, particularly in
relation to a reported last-minute change of rules by the electoral
boards to allow ballots that had not been officially stamped. The change
has raise concerns of "ballot-stuffing" -- where extra votes are cast
illegally to manipulate results.
"Only
the Turks can decide their political organization. But figures already
published show that Turkish society is divided on this planned important
reforms," it said, calling for "a free and sincere dialogue" in Turkey
among all components of political and social life.
Erdogan
has lashed back at the OSCE international monitors' initial findings,
telling them to "know their place," Reuters reports.
He
said that Turkey did not "see, hear or acknowledge" the observer
mission's reports and accused some European countries of showing more
opposition to the constitutional changes than Turkey's own opposition
parties.
Relations
between Turkey and Europe's powerhouse nations have come under strain
over Erdogan's comments that he would seek the restoration of the death
penalty -- a move that would sink Turkey's long-stalled bid to join the
European Union.
"We have said this
over and over in my speeches. As I said this will come before the
parliament and if it is passed from the parliament, I would approve
this. I would confirm. Why? Because we do not have the authority to
forgive the murders of our martyrs," Erdogan said at a rally Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment