Trump breaks ranks on Erdogan
Backs president’s win but European leaders cite issues.
Donald Trump has called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him on winning a referendum granting him sweeping new powers that exposed bitter divisions in the country.
Trump’s congratulations on Monday were in contrast with EU leaders who have been reserved in their reaction to the narrow victory and even his own State Department, which earlier noted concerns expressed by international observers over the “uneven playing field”.
Erdogan rejected the criticism, telling the monitors: “Know your place.”
The referendum was seen as crucial not just for shaping Turkey’s political system, but also its future strategic direction.
Erdogan said Turkey could hold further referendums on its EU bid and re-introducing the death penalty. The “Yes” camp won 51.41% in Sunday’s referendum, according to complete results released by election authorities. But the opposition immediately cried foul, claiming a clean vote would have made a difference of several percentage points and handed them victory.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party said they would challenge the results from most ballot boxes due to alleged violations. International observers agreed the campaign was conducted on an “unlevel playing field” and that the vote count itself was marred by procedural changes that removed key safeguards.
The new political system comes into effect in November 2019. It would dispense with the prime minister’s post and centralise the executive bureaucracy under the president, giving Erdogan direct power to appoint ministers. –