Outcome of Turkey’s vote worries European leaders
Opposition threatens to fight referendum’s narrow approval
Worried European leaders on Monday questioned Turkey’s commitment to democratic principles and its Western allies a day after Turks voted narrowly to grant sweeping new powers to its president.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect those Turks who voted against creation of a powerful presidency, many fearing he would take the secular nation down a path toward authoritarian rule and sever close security ties with Europe.
“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,” said Merkel, whose country is home to about 4 million people of Turkish origin.
The measure, which passed Sunday with 51% of the vote, also could jeopardize the deal reached last year with Turkey and the European Union to staunch the flow of Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe. Erdogan already pledged to review the agreement if the referendum passed.
French President François Hollande said the vote shows a divided nation and urged Turkey to respect opposition voices and European values.
“It’s up to Turks, and them alone, to decide their political organization,” Hollande said, adding that France will “follow with the greatest attention” outside monitors’ evaluations of whether the vote was free and fair, the Associated Press reported.
Hollande also warned that if Turkey reinstates the death penalty, that would “constitute a rupture” with Turkey’s pledges to respect human rights as part of its efforts to join European institutions.
Austrian Foreign Minster Sebastian Kurz called the result a “clear signal against the European Union,” adding that the “fiction” of Turkey’s decades-long application to the EU must end.
Opposition groups challenged the vote and threatened to appeal, citing voter fraud and saying the government took advantage of the existing state of emergency to handicap the campaign.
“We will pursue a legal battle,” said Bulent Tezcan, deputy leader of Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party. “If the irregularities are not fixed, there will be a serious legitimacy discussion.”
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitored the Turkish referendum, said the vote and campaign “fell short” of international standards.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States is urging Turkey’s government to protect basic rights and freedoms as Turkish officials work to resolve the contested results, the AP reported.
Erdogan, who spearheaded the referendum, insisted the vote was the “most democratic election” seen in any Western country and said Turkey would ignore the OSCE findings.
“First, know your place! We won’t see or hear the politically motivated reports you prepare,” Erdogan told supporters outside his palace in Ankara, the AP reported. He called on the opposition and the international community to “show respect to the decision of the nation.”
Erdogan’s supporters say the changes allowed by the referendum would bolster Turkey’s economy and ensure security in a country besieged by terrorism. Critics of the measure noted that Erdogan issued a state of emergency after the failed coup in July and then purged dissenters. About 100,000 journalists, judges and opposition leaders were stripped of their positions, and about 50,000 people have been arrested.