"The economic turmoil may make Mr. Erdogan more careful about picking fights with the West, but it could also spell growing unrest and political challenges at home against a newly energized and unified opposition."
This statement shows Western liberals still don't understand the national psychology of the authoritarian regimes. They don't pick less fights when the economy goes bad, they pick more so that everything bad could be blamed on the "enemies".
2
Ever since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first president, decided to put the country on a democratic path, in 1923, it had been distancing itself even from symbols and symbolisms one associates with Islam. The ban on women wearing scarves in government offices and sate-run institutions, which Ataturk imposed, is one example of it.
Until Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power 15 years ago, well-wishers of Turkey had hoped that this country was going to prove to the rest of the world that Islam and democracy are not antithetical to each other; and that it was going to inspire other Muslim countries to follow its path. The main reason for the hope was its steadfast adherence to two basic tenets of democracy: the separation of church and state; and equality before the law and equal protection of all by the law.
Since Mr. Erdogan started usurping dictatorial powers, not only have those outward manifestations of Islam come back, but he has also put the country on a path to Islamist fundamentalism. His victory in Sunday’s election allows him to stay in office for another 15 years and grants him grants him “vastly expanded authority over the legislature and judiciary.”
When Turks elected him 15 years ago, they thought they were electing a pro-NATO, pro-European, moderate Islamist. They have every right to feel betrayed now. Their fear that Turkey could once again be ruled the way Ottoman sultans did before Ataturk sent them pacing is legitimate.
4
Western political leaders, parroting the instructions delivered to them by the investor class, gleefully welcomed Erdogan's rise to power in Turkey because unlike the social-democratic Kemalists, he and his party of religious fanatics were going to open up Turkey to foreign investment.
Erdogan did just that, and the investors and their politicians in the West were richer and thus pleased. He has also set about completely obliterating secularism and the rule of law, intending to install himself as dictator-for-life. The investors don't really care about either of those things, all that matters to them is that Turkey cut taxes and red-tape and borrowed heavily to finance pharaonic projects. That means profit.
Get used to it, the playbook of 21st century capitalism is to replace secular democracy with a new class of autocrats who will entertain and dazzle the plebs while their rich friends loot the treasury and gobble up all of the nation's markets. That's the story of Turkey, Russia, India, and now the United States. Let us all also not forget that for all of their holier-than-thou posturing the E.U., where all of the important decisions are made by un-elected Eurocrats, is not a real democracy, either.
This is what happens when we put too much faith in capitalism. The capitalists would all do away with democracy in a heartbeat if they could be richer under autocracy.
A very sad day for the Turkish republic and people. Erdogan is looking to create a Sunni caliphate in all but name.
Turkey's history is pretty horrific during the early years of the 20th century...they we're the first to commit human genocide/holocaust by killing millions of Armenians from 1915-17. Also, their democracy is fairly young (~60 years) which had several military coups in the intervening years in the 60s and 90s.
A secular demacracy has exsisted for even fewer years. So with Erdogan moving the country back to autocratic rule bodes an ill wind for the future, particularly for the Kurds and non-muslim.
With autocrat Regeb Tayyib Erdogan's decisive victory, Turkey, the so-called strategic partner of the US, is now fully in the Putin camp. Erdogan is NOT, and has never been a friend of the US, albeit admired by Trump, who is jealous of Erdogan's manipulations to become the unquestioned ruler of Turkey...Trump's very dream...
It is sad to see the murderous coward, called Sultan Hamid the second (the Red sultan of the late Ottoman empire) come alive in the person of the corrupt Erdogan..
.Thousands who opposed him are incarcerated, thousands of intellectuals silenced, 120 journalists who criticized him jailed, the Lira plunged...while Erdogan occupies his 10 million dollar residence.
It is his turn now, for banishing/incarcerating the candidates who challenged him in this election ... and finally liquidating Fetullah Gulen himself in the US, Erdogan;s Nemesis.
My worry is that the same thing will happen here in the U.S., courtesy of Russia. Maybe I have been watching too much of The Handmaid's Tale, but this stuff keeps me up at night and has me wanting to move to Canada...
Why else would the president be so confident about a "red wave" in November? Clearly he knows something the rest of us don't. IMHO the media does not focus enough on the real possibility of our election being stolen from us. No one at the New York Times actually thinks this was a legitimate election in Turkey, do you?
There goes the last and only hope for a secular Muslim democracy in the West.
This is the same Erdogan who encourages Muslims living in Western countries to have as many children as possible in order to out-breed the natives.
1
Dictators gotta dictate. I'm sure his buddy in the White House is pleased.
Decent people, not so much.
1
Some people commenting here have no idea or blinded by their anti Turkey view of the world. I'm a proud US citizen born in Turkey and not an Erdogan supporter but let's get the facts straight! Turkey is not a banana republic, it's the 16th economy in the world a G-20 member and growing at a cli of %5-7 annually. This year first half of the year 11.5 million tourists visited Turkey more than ever... Yes you can drink alcohol, wear whatever you want and practice or not practice religion in Turkey. Matter of fact at least %35 of the Turks are non practicing just on paper Muslims, nobody cares. Are there problems: Yes there problems in the areas of justice and freedom of speech but what are people expecting from a government whose trying to clean up a fraction(FETO) who tried a coup just two years ago? Elections were free and fair and he was the peoples choice like it or not!
1
Doubtless a Don Trump dream.
1
It won't stop the EU from continuing to do business with Erdogan, as with the migrant crisis blowing up into a political firestorm in Europe, the EU can't afford to risk losing that deal with Turkey that keeps migrants from using the Balkan route to get to Europe. The Sweden Democrats (formerly a neo-Nazi party), just hit 28% in a YouGov poll done 16-18 June, now in the lead by 6.5pts over Lofven's Social Democrats. That would be the same Lofven-Social Democrats that let in all those migrants in 2015. Do you think for a moment that with Europeans using the ballot box to scream No more, no more, no more, no more! the EU will risk insulting Erdogan, who on more than one occasion has threatened to put all the migrants on boats and send them back to Europe? Has anyone noticed that after vilifying Hungary's Orban for years, the EU is now trying to put into action the very proposals they vilified him for three years ago - now that they've seen how elections went in Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, and perhaps that YouGov poll this morning?
I only bring this matter up to show how hollow all the face-palming is about Erdogan and his "election". The geopolitical landscape is what it has always been from time immemorial: based on political self-interest.
The only language politicians understand is losing. It's left to the chattering classes and pious commenters to express their shock, shock! that gambling is going on in this establishment.
2
Turkey, Italy, Germany, Russia are cautionary tales of how nations vote away their democracies and their rights. Always looking for a strongman to fix things and then find out that they are soon the victims of the solution they chose,
Turkey is finished as an EU member and will likely be stirring up lots of trouble for the region and certainly is NOT our friend,
Add in the unwillingness of the Turks to do what the Germans did and deal with their holocaust against the Armenians and other nationalities and what should be a great nation moves back to the dark ages.
I know that many educated Turks are reeling from this election and I sympathize with them.
But Americans should look at the Turkish model and avoid it at all costs despite what some orange president tells them,
Why is there no reporting here of the allegations of widespread voting fraud in Turkey? Let's see, a strongman wannabe dictator who probably staged a fake coup, polls that didn't reflect in the vote tally, and evidence on social media of ballot stuffing. Hmm, better not mention it and instead talk about mandates.
Can we stop sucking up to dictators please? Democracy is under threat worldwide. Let's have our free press start defending it please. If the election really was legitimate, let's prove it with independent election monitors. If the monitors aren't allowed in, not legitimate. Were there monitors?
3
The election was rigged. Earlier this year it was rigged for Putin. In 2016 it was rigged for Trump. Hitler "won" an election. And the GOP is busy rigging the November election, with the help of Facebook and Google. Whoopee.
1
My headline: Corrupt Elections - Coming to a Government near You!!!
Just another in a long line of "Fake" elections. With the help of the KGB Master Election Manipulator Putin, so-called "democratic" elections have become the toys of dictators.
I believe the 2016 US presidential election was exactly that - a corrupt and manipulated election.
It started years ago with government-supported political gerrymandering. Supplemented by Republican effort to suppress the non-white vote, easy access via the Web (once a top secret computed switching network called the ARPANET) and the conservative Citizen's United Supreme Court decision (alias: The Anti-Voter decision), the 2016 election was ripe for election manipulation and corruption.
With a long history of "lobbying" for foreign dictators such as Victor Yanukovych (Ukraine); Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines) and Sese Seko (Congo), Paul Manafort is chosen by a compromised Donald J. Trump to run his campaign and use his knowledge and experience in corrupt elections (gleamed from years of working with former KGB operatives) to manipulate the US election, first by rigging the Republican primary and then, having surrogates rig/manipulate the vote in three key electoral States. All of course with the knowledge of Donald J. Trump.
Erdogan joins the Venezuelan, North Korean, Syrian, and Iranian dictators as our 2018 evil doers ... but does the U.N. care? Does the liberal U.S. media care? The answers are no and no!
in our own country, democratic elections delivered us Mr. Trump and a Republican congress. We all facing the consequences of single party rule that governs to maximize benefits to those that voted for it and pushes democratic and societal norms to the edge. So Turkey does the same. Why the double standard?
2
Slowly but surely the Turks are slowly voting away their democracy and freedom. When the day comes that they are sorry there will be no sympathy.
1
Trump the poor negotiator's role installing Erdogan as dictator for life must not be overlooked.
Just a few days before this election, Trump gave Erdogan F-35s - without negotiating for concessions for his human rights abuses, release of hostages or stoppage on Russian missile bids - broadcasting the United States President bowing down to the Turkish dictator - and then 'free' elections were held.
1
This sort of "strongman" authoritarianism is what folks get when the West tries to export democracy to repressive nations. Many of the essential components of democracy get lost in transit.
2
The United States and other NATO allies need to seriously consider their relationship with Turkey.
While I am not throwing in the towel regarding Turkey, there are a number of upsetting developments/policies there:
1. It is becoming apparent that Turkey is becoming a dictatorship just like Russia has become.
2. Turkey's warming relationship with Russia including buying Russian weapons systems incompatible with NATO systems.
3. Turkey's less than friendly relationship with Israel.
4. Turkey's refusal to admit to the Armenian genocide.
5. Turkey's treatment of Kurds.
I am not saying that NATO should kick Turkey out, but perhaps bringing in Israel would help. Furthermore, given the size, location, and relative power of Turkey, losing Turkey from NATO would not be good strategically. Still, it might benefit NATO and the US to start advocating for an independent Kurdistan which would easily become a US ally and in a very strategic location.
1
Rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey seems to be inevitable.
We are yet to understand why so many Muslims in non-Muslim majority or non-Islamic countries think they should be allowed to follow Islamic Sharia law (the most orthodox in interpreting Quran), in totality or selectively. About 51% Muslims in USA, 62% in Canada, 40% in UK, 42% in Russia and 77% in Thailand think that way. Generally speaking, support for Sharia among Muslims is very high in most Islamic countries in Africa and Asia, mainly where Quranic study is mandatory, and judiciary is based on Sharia. Some secular democracies, like India, partially adopted Sharia for Muslims with a large section of Indian Muslims still go to Islamic schools (Madrassas) and very fanatic.
A 2015 poll indicates that about 60% among Syrian & Iraqi rebel groups, fighting against ISIS with active support of Western (US included) help, "fully support" IS ideology!
After talking to few educated Muslims (doctors, engineers, top bureaucrats, scientists included) in the US and from around the world, I realized that people who follow Islam and believe in every word of Quran, do not agree that religion is a personal matter and must remain personal, particularly when they are among Muslim majority audience. They also do not agree in the definition of justice, the way we in the western world and other democracies believe, i.e., in short, “greater good for larger number of people”.
It's very disturbing.
2
Wake up. America has ceded leadership of NATO and everything else in the free world. Whatever Erdogan's faults may be, Turkey has a rational competent president and we do not. We are no longer in control. The future offers little more than a series of hand wringing articles like this one.
1
I am sad for Turkey, but I muse aloud that if Turkey were the manufacturing hub for say, cell phones, would we be as amenable to all atrocities (past, present and future) like we are to a country that already fits the picture.
Think about that for a moment.
4
"but Mr. Erdogan has tested the NATO alliance by drawing closer to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia,"
works just as well as but Mr. Trump has tested the NATO alliance by drawing closer to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. And Kim Jong Un. And Xi Jinping.
1
He didn't win any more than Vladimir Putin won. The equivalent here (which no doubt is something he would want) would be for Trump to arrest all the viable democratic candidates, well all the ones he didn't kill. One has to worry for the future of democracy when such despots find it so easy to beat down the competition. With the threat to (as describe by George Will last week) spineless republicans whose support of Trump is based on fear of their own continued gravy train of graft ending, the American people had better take Turkey as the future of America if they let it continue.
2
Please don’t title your article “the people GAVE Erdogan his presidency when it’s obvious that he TOOK it by shutting down the voice of dissent in the media, the newspapers, and a healthy legal process.
You’re welcomed to say he STOLE it once again though by shutting down any opposition to a great degree.
You are also welcomed to say that he will continue to roll back 90 years of progress that Ataturk made when he founded of the Republic of Turkey.
Another country down the abyss of dictatorship, conservatism and silencing of the people. What a shame.
3
trump is already trying to figure out how to do this before the elections in Nov. He could hold a republican/trump base only election & declare himself president for life. surprised he hasn't already called Erdogan to congratulate him on expanding his powers. "Good man, strong leader, knows how to run his country right..." tweets will soon begin.
2
Take a good look, America. This is a preview of the type of "small d" democracy our president wants to roll out. Terrified yet? You should be!
2
Spent recently a few months in Turkey, the people I met were fearful of Erdogan, lots of riot police in the streets being very visible in Istanbul. Many westerners had left the country by that time.
Stifling of dissent is being done by scaring people. The educated people are painted to be a threat an fear is used by condemning them............. Rampant nationalism preached by the powers that "be" *I am very sorry for the Turkish people, they deserve better.
Sounds familiar?........... Don't think this cannot happen in the US...........
1
Vast new powers will not help the economy of Turkey, which has seen foreign direct investment fall by 50% since 2007. Turkey, once the workshop of Europe, once provided low cost labor and stable investment conditions.
But as masses of displaced agricultural workers flooded into Istanbul, increasing its population more than tenfold, the country turned away from its secular 20th century history toward a more conservative religious orientation in the 21st.
This will not turn out well for Turkey.
2
Last November I spent a week in New Orleans and was able to spend a day at the National World War II Museum. There is a section that describes the lead up to the war and what was happening politically, internationally and domestically. There is a very scary correlation, nationalistic and populist movements along with the rise of right wing leaders. The only difference is we are now one of those countries, not the country waiting in the wings to help save the world. We’ve chosen to invite these same leaders to the White House with open arms & praise while purging our most trusted democratic allies.
2
Another Islamist dictator thirives.
I have no idea whether it appears this election was conducted in a free and fair manner. It would really help if the article had addressed this explicitly. Was there monitoring? Have significant questions been raised? One way or another, it would be good to know what the indications are.
4
People in repressive authoritarian nations that only recently have been fooled into believing that "democracy" has been bestowed upon them, don't realize there's more to it than elections.
In fact, many Americans seem to be burdened with the same delusion.
Yes there was monitoring. Every ballot box had representatives of each party present and there was also international organizations. It was as fair as the elections in US.. wait he won he majority but Trump did not!
Your lead-in, the photo, and its caption give the impression of full support by Turkish citizens to Erdogan. Your newspaper is worrying me. In your interest for fair and balanced, it’s looking more like supporting the powerful. It’s a slippery slope, NYTimes. Whose side are you on? No one’s you’ll say. I disagree. You’re on the side of the powerful.
9
Anamyn--I have expressed the same worry. " Fair and balanced" gives validity to faulty points of view. It's a terrible mistake.
1
Somewhere along the way, a century or two ago, democracy became all about elections. When the votes were counted, the elected elitist said, "Thank you" and everybody agreed to forget to remember that democracy was purported to be government of the people, by the people, for the people.
1
The Times has hardly been supportive of Erdogan. Journalists don't tend to think highly of dictators who jail other journalists...
it is a very sad times for Turks and to western world, election was the just a name, never really done, oh yes people went to the pools and speaches given but everybody knew ERDOGAN won the election before done, ERDOGAN's name goes with ASSAD , PUTIN , and the rest of dictators, ERDOGAN look good for a while because of Turkish economy was doing good but now Turkish Lira worth less than tuvalet paper, Turkey will kick out from NATO and become a second Pakistan and pain for USA , TRUMP likes him so they might have some think common what you think, l am 84 YEAR OLD TURK, left there 1960 to USA but l just do not like what is going on around me , NYT we need you more than ever
10
Dark Ages are coming to Turkey. The sheeps will be lead by the thief, dictator Erdogan. He is too strong and he will only get stronger as there will be more sheeps graduating from religious schools to support him and his party.
8
Strongman Dictatorship 101:
Jail all of your potential opponents, critics, media, and journalists. Then hold shoddy, rigged election to consolidate power.
12
Right.
Or else take a poll, find who is the most popular politician in the nation, and make sure he doesn't become the presidential candidate. (Where have you gone Bernie Sanders?)
1
I feel like out current President reads this headline (not the article of course) and thinks to himself "Someday".
11
Have the claims of massive election fraud been investigated at all?
http://theregion.org/m/article/13715-reports-of-massive-voter-fraud-taki...
6
"Democracy is like a train: when you reach your destination, you get off" - Recep Tayyip Erdogan
"When [does the sovereignty belong to the people]? It is only when they go to the polls [every five years] that sovereignty belongs to the people. But both materially, and in essence, sovereignty unconditionally and always belongs to Allah!" - Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkey has voted itself on a straight path to Islamism, with Erdogan at the front. They won't have ANYONE to blame but themselves. Ain't pure democracy great?
3
In fact, democracy has been everywhere very much watered down. And sovereignty as well. They are both very inconvenient and unprofitable for the international billionaire oligarchs who dominate governments and own and run the world.
I am sure that Trump will soon be calling Erdogan to congratulate him on his "victory".
11
No Turkish political activity in Germany any longer. Just forbid it, Erdogan style,
2
To compare the Unite States to Turkey, Russia, Venezuela and China is simply ridiculous. What newspaper websites are blocked by our government? What political parties are banned? What government board can select which candidates are allowed to appear on the ballot? Let's get serious people. Yes, the combover in chief complains about the liberal press, but that does not stop a steady stream of unflattering reports about him in newspaper or on CNN, MSNBC, and all the network news show with the exception of FOX. Democratic party members regularly call for impeachment and no one has been killed or imprisoned. I also resent the notion that people who do not hate him like liberals do would sit back and allow such things to happen. It is not the Right who is resorting to violence on campuses to prevent people they do not like from speaking. I may not agree with what someone says, but I would give my life to allow them the right to say it. With little exception has no place in a free society. It seems like some people cannot understand is that the people who supported Trump see centralized power as the enemy. The last thing any of them want is to have an all powerful leader telling them how to live their lives as Maduro, Putin and Xi do. And for all those liberals who were praising Hugo Chavez when he was centralizing power in order to prop up his socialist government, how'd that work out?
2
trump is trying to block any media platform that opposes him or prints negative comments. He is desperately trying to freedom of speech by having investigations into anti-trump websites & who has looked at them. His voter fraud commission has tried to get not just voter registration information but who they voted for in the elections in 2016. They may be disbanded but Korbach is still out there trying to get the information on who voted against trump -- that is the voter fraud they want to uncover. US under trump is moving to look like Turkey, Syria, China, & other communist/democracies. trump supporters are armed militia who will kill to defend trump & the destruction of freedom in America. we are no safer than the people in turkey, north korea, venezeula because we have given up our rights to a man who represents only his own ego & greed.
1
This is terrible news and an indication of what could happen in the rest of Europe and here in the U.S. It seems as though some people feel safer and more secure under autocrats, like Trump's base, for example.
5
It will be easy to see where we are headed if Trump congratulates Erdogan on his victory.
2
And so a hard line dictator emerges once again in a country once leaning towards democracy. Sad that the US is complicit by the amount of money given to Erdogan in the name of security.
2
A true Democracy! Surprise! Erdogan won with a mandate of 110% of the votes! Has Trump picked up his Oval Office phone to congratulate him? After all, he congratulated Putin for winning a 90% mandate in a rigged election. Just like himself, who won a rigged election to be President with help from no other than Putin himself.
4
Is it just me or is every democracy in the world split 50-50? (Or maybe 51-49, with an edge to the far right.) This is a recipe for nothing good.
8
Amazing the magical illusions trillions of dollars can create.
The recipe over the last 50 years should have included listening to the concerns of the electorate toward which even "democratic" government so much obvious contempt.
Maybe the cake would have come out of the oven a little less burnt.
Perhaps this might be an opportune time to add Erdogan to the list of regime change candidates. Along with Bibi in Israel and the Saudi Royal family. Hamas in Lebanon & in Gaza. Then we in the West can have a successful Middke East policy.
3
how convenient of you to forget the failed CIA coup?
So much for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (“Atatürk”: “Father of the Turks”).
Although the Atatürk was a military strongman in implementing his modernization/secularization of Turkey after World War I, with Erdogan Turkey seems to be looking further back in its history to the despotic rule of the Ottomans and their sultan.
Or, Erdogan is just a Turkish and fully empowered version of Trump.
More and more, Turkey represents oriental despotism, and cannot become a part of a European Union steeped in the democratic traditions of Western Civilization. The US is also having problems with those same traditions.
5
This is a frightening development--like hearing that your nice neighbor has changed into a mass murderer. Turkey was not too long ago one of the most pleasant and tolerant countries to visit, thanks to the influence of Kamal Ataturk who established the policy of keeping religion out of government. Turkey was a welcoming country that allowed secularists to feel free to live without Islamic strictures. No longer. Starting with the very young who will now be brainwashed by required intensive and lengthy religious instruction in their schools and continuing with the older population who can easily be jailed for eating openly during Ramadan--Turkey has lost a great part of its liberty. I fear that we in Trump's America are moving in the same direction--in spite of Trump's disdain for religion. If Trump and enablers (especially the two reverends who wallow in Biblical sanctity--Pence and Sessions) are not thrown out of power, we too are in danger of becoming a nation where religion sets policies. Good-bye to personal liberty. The evangelical leaders in this country and many of their followers seem willing to follow the devil (i.e., DT and friends) to be able to impose their personal religious philosophy on all others.
7
This is a sad day for the people of Turkey. An bleak future lays in wait while another president for life is born. They will never be rid of him or his tyranny while religiously inspired ignorance dominates their country. Meanwhile the educated & wealthy will leave while those that remain will experience the poverty that comes from tyranny. Trump & Bannon must be happy though, anther authoritarian nationalist for their buddy list.
4
This is the end of any hope for a decent life for the people of Turkey. The country will become another repressive Islamic regime ruled by corrupt leaders in the model of Iran. Any Turkish citizen with any means and education will most likely be leaving the country as soon as they can (if they can).
3
Better not try to come to america...zero immigration, zero asylum, and zero acceptance. Unless you have enough money to buy into a trump property. No visas for countries with terrorists. Does turkey have terrorists? Are people from turkey considered white?
It is interesting that Turkey was a part of the Ottoman Empire that was part of the Central Powers in WWI. The Ottoman Empire controlled a good portion of southeast Europe as well as the western Middle East. After the Great War they had to give up much of their territory to Great Britain. Great Britain later gave these territories to others. I wonder if the old Ottoman Empire is on the rise and wants its territories back. This could lead to another world conflict since many hands have a stake in the result. I hope not. I hope I am wrong. Enough blood has been spilled over this area. Interestingly, the Serbs lead to the start of WWI. This region is driving world conflict.
I was hoping the people would prevail. this is bad. Really bad.
2
And to think that just a decade ago there were talks about the possibility of Turkey entering the EU. No chance of that now. If the country had been allowed entry, or given a clear path to gain entry, would they have moved backwards (with regard to human rights, political and economic corruption...) as they have done, or reformed their legal and cultural systems to be more in keeping with the ideals of the union?
2
There was no real election. Voting does not a democracy make. Democracy is far more than that, not that I expect Erdogan to understand that. To those who wonder why Turkey is a NATO ally, well let me tell, at one of point in history, we didn't have ICBM, atomic weapons were carried by missiles with limited range so the US needed an ally closer to Russia to hold their missiles. That's it, nothing more nothing less. Time for change.
11
Erdogan’s reliance on the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) for its majority “means foreign policy will likely remain influenced by nationalist considerations.”
Two days before the elections, in an interview with the Turkish daily, Hürriyet, the MHP leader, Devlet Bahceli warned Erdogan's AKP, the ruling party, that “everything would be over” should the government repeat its past mistakes. He said he would support Erdogan in the presidential elections so that he could remain president. But they want a strong MHP in the parliament, knowing that Erdogan seeks to weaken it. Bahceli also criticized Erdogan for using the word "coalition" while discussing possible scenarios after the election.
“The president cannot share his power. If his party did not have enough seats at the parliament, then he can seek support to execute certain functions. This is not a coalition. It can be called reconciliation or cooperation,” Bahceli said.
It remains to be seen whether the AKP and the MHP would be able to cooperate. They formed an alliance before the elections, but had emphasized on keeping their political identity and campaigned separately.
The MHP is a far-right political party that adheres to Turkish ultranationalism and Euroscepticism. It reveres Turkey’s founder, Kemal Ataturk, who advocated secularism and modernity. Erdogan’s staunchest supporters are mostly rural, pious and illiterateTurks.
7
I imagine Trump was not only jealous when he heard this news, but he probably took notes on the new powers Erdogan got for himself, hoping to have those for himself some day. The continued rise of these dictators around the world, and Trump's admiration for them and jealousy of them should be a warning to all Americans of what may be to come in the next six years.
20
This is a NATO partner? I think it’s very much time for a review. Especially hearing how they are purchasing Russian military hardware.
26
There are few real democracies in the world. Instead of the breathless whining about those which fail, the indifference toward the many which aspire, and the ironic and schizophrenic attitudes toward all those in-between, perhaps we could devote more time to limiting Constitutional erosion from both the Right and Left in America.
A democracy is not a toy: you either respect the deep wisdom of the Framers or fall into the same self-justifying rhetoric we abhor in lesser states. Only BEFORE our founding were principles unblemished by personal and group interest. Both parties are guilty.
For those on the Left who trash America, feel free to trying your hand in some other nation and write home with your thoughts.
Or tend to the imperatives within our shores.
3
The Left is most certainly not guilty of the erosion of civil liberties by the Right.
Nor does the Left "trash America."
On the contrary, the Left celebrates the great diversity that is the United States, and deplores the autocratic corporatism and religious and racial bigotry that threaten to destroy it.
Other democracies are a model that the United States is having a hard time keeping up with.
6
In response to your comment about those on the left that trash America
“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
- James Baldwin / Author
Nothing good ever happens without a fight.
Erdogan was a mafiosi who built his perfect Mafiocracy.
This election wasn't free. All sorts of tricks were pulled, especially in opposition areas, where polling stations were closed, moved and opened different hours, forcing people to travel and wait longer than they should have to, betting that they wouldn't bother to vote.
There's going to be a civil war in Turkey. And it's going to be a bloodbath.
7
Who is going to lead this civil war? A handful of elites,democrats and secularists in Erzerum,Istanbul,and Izmir?
Ataturk stationed the Turkish military as the guardian of secular republicanism . It has ALWAYS been the bulwark of secularism in Turkey. How we moaned and groaned every time the military toppled an elected government-not such a bad idea now,is it?
Can't wait for the Turkish economy to collapse.
5
And America does NOT help them.
i'll wager the American economy would collapse way before the Turkish economy.
1
Erdogan's victory has ominous signs for the Democrats. With no strong leadership, clear solution for issues such as immigrationand domestic stability, and a general perception of weakness in defense and terror, they are most likely to lose in 2018 and 2020.
8
If Erdogan is now colluding with Putin, isn’t it time to oust Turkey from NATO?
14
If Trump is now colluding with Putin, isn’t it time to oust America from NATO?
3
good old u.s. of a. needs the nato gang more than ever. nato gives the u.s. a veneer of legitimacy. it it weren't for the nato gang involvement uncle sam would stand trial in world court for war crimes committed in Iraq, afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and yemen.
We need Incirlik.We need Turkey. They don't need us.
2
Remember when Americans would look at wannabe authoritarian leaders like Erdogan and say it can’t happen here? Yeah, good times.
17
I await the news of trump's call to congratulate Turkey's dictator, followed by his vocal wish that he could be one, and will be with the help of his base.
9
Endogan joins the caravan of “leaders” like Qaddafi, Mubarak, Saddam, etc. he always wanted to. He believes he is the fate of Turks. This is the end as we know it.
4
Always interesting how so many link the election of a foreign autocrat to the appalling Donald Trump’s alleged desire for a similar autocracy here in the US.
It’s almost as if these hyper-partisans didn’t notice the good old days of Barack Obama using the IRS to go after his political opponents, or weaponizing the intelligence community and the FBI to go after a presidential candidate.
It’s almost as if civil liberties don’t matter if it’s your side doing the oppressing. And where the heck is Nat Hentoff when you really need him?
1
The Left was always critical of Obama, for his rightest-leaning policies.
However, your charges against him are off the mark.
Far more serious, and real rather than imagined, were his failures on single payer health care, signing the Patriot act, surveillance by the NSA, jailing of whistle blowers, the atrocities of the illegal wars, and general capitulation to the GOP.
3
President Obama’s leftism — inadequate to so many, apparently — went as far as the electorate permitted him to go.
You may recall the drubbing Democrats took in 2010, as well as the eight-year long rejection of Democrats at the state and local level across the nation.
We’ll see if the electorate puts the brakes on the appalling DJT this November (but I have my doubts consider how unhinged and unseemly the Left has become because of him).
It's almost like you're lying and promulgating a conspiracy theory of things that didn't happen because it makes your terrible decisions and the appalling behavior of the people you support seem less awful
1
This is how religions are destroying civilizations and democracies, mainly secular democracies, being destroyed. Here in the US and other western countries, we need to learn our own lesson from this rather downfall of Turkey from a very vibrant and productive secular democracy to becoming just another Islamic country like middle eastern Arab ones.
There is not a single Muslim majority country, forget the ones which are officially Islamic, where secular democracy flourished and religious minorities are allowed to flourished. There were about 14 percent religious minorities in Turkey when it was created by Kelamal Ataturk aroudn 1924. Now minorities are less than 0.2 percent of the population. And that's a very clear general trend among all Muslim majority countries in the world.
So called "moderate" Muslims, who are desperate to live in western secular democracies with their number increasing, must understand it and actively oppose the way most Muslims behave, mainly when they become majority.
15
Since most countries ruled by strict Muslim governments are repressive, it's hard to know how many Muslims really feel.
In Turkey, Erdogan's majority seems to have less to do with the worship of religion and more to do with the worship of authoritarianism.
It is similar in the United States.
5
Actually, Tunisia is moving towards a secular government since their "Arab Spring" They have a way to go, but it's hopeful. Their success could provide an example one day for many of the young people in Egypt and elsewhere in the mid-east.
We are yet to understand why so many Muslims in non-Muslim majority or non-Islamic countries think they should be allowed to follow Islamic Sharia law (the most orthodox in interpreting Quran), in totality or selectively. About 51% Muslims in USA, 62% in Canada, 40% in UK, 42% in Russia and 77% in Thailand think that way. Generally speaking, support for Sharia among Muslims is very high in most Islamic countries in Africa and Asia, mainly where Quranic study is mandatory and judiciary is based on Sharia. Some secular democracies, like India, partially adopted Sharia for Muslims and a large section of Indian Muslims still go to Islamic schools (Madrassas) and are highly fanatic).
A 2015 poll says that about 60% among Syrian & Iraqi rebel groups, fighting against ISIS with active support of Western (US included) help, "fully support" IS ideology!
After talking to few educated Muslims (doctors, engineers, top bureaucrats, scientists included) in the US and from around the world, I realized that people who follow Islam and believe in every word of Quran, do not agree that religion is a personal matter and must remain personal, particularly when they are among Muslim majority audience. They also do not agree in the definition of justice, the way we in the western world and other democracies believe, i.e., in short, “greater good for larger number of people”.
It's very disturbing.
Now Erdogan's hands are free to go after those he calls terrorists: Kurds. The repression against Kurds will intensify, and he will further try to conquer land in Syria, land that is currently controlled by Kurds.
What will officially be a counter-terrorism action in Northern Syria will in fact be a land grab. He will then resettle there the Syrian refugees who currently live in Turkey, and bestow on them Turkish passports. This will be his next step stone to, in his view, restore the Ottoman empire.
Other neighboring countries, which he already claimed were spiritually part of the Ottoman empire (Bulgaria…) better take notice.
6
Nationalist-conservatism, will be hard to beat. Its nationalism appeals to the common people, its pro-capitalism is of the economic nationalist variety, but it nevertheless appeals to powerful factions among the business class. Liberal-conservatism, with its globalist outlook and pro-capitalism appeals to some of the business class but lacks popular appeal thanks to its embrace of the downsides of globalization, like free-trade and open-borders. Social liberalism ("liberal" in America), globalist but in favor of a slightly more regulated capitalism has almost no appeal outside of the professional classes. The hoi polloi reject its globalism and the business classes reject its restraints on capitalism. The professional classes love it but they are typically no more than 20% of the population in any developed country. Social democracy, the ideology of the alliance between the industrial trade-unions and the intellectuals is now almost totally extinct.
What does this all mean? It means the Erdogan, Trump, Modi, Putin, Abe, Orban, etc., are not only all here to stay, they will be around for a very long-time. Call it the age of the popularly elected emperors.
4
Fear. Leaders like Erdogan thrive on it. Throughout the world, "leaders" like Erdogan, use fear to get elected and stay in power. Putin, and Xi are other fine examples. But, in other democracies, fear is being use to elect conservative, anti-immigrant, nationalist leaders. More control at the top, means more control for the 1%. This 1%, wants 99% drones to do their bidding; similar to the world of "1984".
And, in the United States, this nation has a leader which aspires to autocratic rule. And, like these other countries, the 1% is firmly in control. And, unfortunately, there is a solid bloc of people which support Trump. The good news, it is only about 31%. But, with the right autocrat, who can be popular like a Putin, Xi or Erdogan, the US, and most of Europe, for that matter, could elect their own dictator in chief.
Crazy? Well all have used, including Trump, immigration, secure borders, putting their nation/people first, attack opposition, attack the media, debase the intelligentsia, coddled the very wealthy, empowered the military, usurp rule of law, and asked for firm loyalty to the leader/party.
Trump fits the mold of these dictators. Fortunately, for about 69%, of the country, they are a major check against the US falling into dictatorship. But, they should be vigilant, as the 1% sees it is possible, with the right person, they can get a dictator of their own.
Autocratic capitalism is just as bad as autocratic socialism.
59
They don't have to suborn a majority of the people; they only have to control the reported outcomes of voting. It might be naive to think that the dictators and their corporate wealth-class sponsors would stay their hands from that.
1
The problem is with the "candy" that the wealthy hold over the head of consumerist Americans. Humans are animals. You can train animals to do anything for a treat!
1
Are these people serious? Erdogan is already 15 years in power yet gets another five years? Also the role of president is supposed to be ceremonial while the prime minister holds the real power. Now the prime minister position will be abolishes so a dictator will have 20 years in power. Are people that stupid? Similar to Venezuela where people can barely feed themselves yet the same government won another election. They also changed the constitution. Sam with Russia they changed the constitution to allow Putin to serve a longer term. With Donald Trump in power and his boorish behavior I'm glad I live in a country where no majority party can change the constitution to create a dictatorship which is where Duterte in the Philippines is heading.
13
Wayne, I guess you have no idea that Turkey is the 16th economy in the world and in G-20 to compare it with Venezuela and Philippines! Erdogan might be the wrong choice but he's elected with the free will of the people unlike Trump where he did not get the majority of the vote! Also changing constitution in Turkey requires 3/4 of the parliament which almost impossible. Also here in the US where I'm a citizen I feel like things are going down the drain quicker than ever before with this current administration.
5
Ali I don't care if Turkey's economy is 16th in the world. What does that have to do with a dictator on the rise? The only reason I mention Venezuela is to show how stupid people are that they can't find anything in the supermarkets, their money is worthless worse than Germany after WW1 yet still voted in Maduro another term. I don't know where you get your information from but Erdogan has the majority party that has made several changes. He is on his way to having the prime minister position abolished. You can't compare Trump to Erdogan. You can't be serious. Trump does a lot of tweeting on Twitter about things he can't do anything about. Like denying due process to illegal immigrants and deporting them immediately even if they come from Honduras. He can't do it. How many professors at universities did Trump fire? How many judges did Trump fire? Well Erdogan fired many judges and teachers. He also declared a state of emergency something Trump can't do because it's not in the U.S. constitution. I can go on and on. Trump is a buffoon who got lucky that many ignorant people voted for him without thinking through the consequences. Even the trade wars he's in now Congress can take back that power because the power to impose tariff is the duty of the Congress not of the president.
Erdogan has delusions of being the next Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the next King of the Hittite Empire. The Kurds are alll that stands between him and his ethnic sectarian supremacist megalomania.
21
"......has overseen a crackdown on lawyers, judges, civil servants and journalists......". Sounds familiar. It won't be too long before Trump tweets something to the effect of: Congratulations to President Erdogan. Met him. Great guy. Loves his country. Loves his people. Tough love against fake news necessary. The country is doing great. It took 10 seconds for me to see he is a great leader and trustworthy.
45
Jacob, You are so spot on. My mom was born in Alberta way back when, I really need to get my proof of citizenship papers so I have an out plan.
5
Turkey is more liberal than ever. After spending 5 years in USA, I returned to Turkey to see that there's freedom in your own acts. In USA it's forbidden to consume alcohol in the streets, in Turkey you can do it mostly. The only thing Turkey is lacking self-respect which leads to losing respect to others as well.
1
I can hardly wait to hear the gushing praise Trump will bestow on Erdogan’s “win” while he lusts after the same absolute power. Trump will wistfully long this power be granted to him. He already believes the Executive branch is more equal than Justice or Congress.
Did Trump read ‘Animal Farm’ believing it was a plan not a warning?
“all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
34
So, so sad and horrible for decent people in Turkey.
32
You mean that 30 million plus voters who elected president Erdogan are not decent people? It tells more about the standard for decency in your mind and nothing about the proud Turkish people
This is great day for the proud Turkish nation.
2
Being a decent person is in itself a reason to be grateful. If they want to let Erdogan’s presence ruin that for them, it’s theirs to waste if they want to.
It was kind of the media to give some kind of hope that there was democracy in Turkey. But the power that Erdogan wielded assured his victory before the election even began. Turkey now joins the club of Moslem Dictatorships, Erdogan himself giving the sign of the Muslim Brotherhood frequently. How long can Turkey remain in NATO, when his allegiance is more to Russia and the Muslim Brotherhood?
19
That is an important point. Beware.
1
@dsbarclay: you wonder how long, given recent developments, TR can remain in the NATO? NATO needs TR badly, to 'keep the influx of refugees' at bay - and erdogan knows it.
2
The Bosporus as the link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, as the way out for the Russian warm-water Black Sea Fleet, is the reason NATO will never turn its back on Turkey.
In the Crimean War of the 19th Century, even arch-enemies like England, France, and the Ottoman Empire ganged up together to stop Russian expansion past the Black Sea.
1
It won't be long until he starts killing people.
32
I wonder what time Trump will call Erdogan to congratulate him.
Two peas in a pod.
23
That would almost be like Barack Obama embracing the dictators of Cuba and Venezuela, huh...
Apples and oranges. Obama never called to congratulate a dictators election like your president did with Putin.
That’s right, Scott. Mr Obama hugged and lauded them instead.
Congratulations to President Erdogan and the Turkish public. They elected to continue on the path of freedom and prosperity and turn their back on the past.
As he imprisons his political enemies and supplants secular rule with religious law to appease his base. Yeah, going forward for sure
3
And with this you can understand MR's cheer-leading, unquestioning and effusive support for another authoritarian in the comments section of the NY Times.
1
Who do you think you are to make choices for others. The Turkish electorate have proven to be ten times belter educated and informed than the deplorables.
What's the saying?
"Those giving up freedoms in exchange for perceived safety deserve neither."
Our time is obviously coming.
28
Returning back the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the absolute power position the Turkish voters have not only pushed themselves into political enslavement but perhaps signed a dearh warrant against themselves, bringing, in turn, the Turkish democracy to a sad end.
36
No surprise here, they only were a democracy because the military kept people like him in check.
22
As bad as this snap re-election is for democracy in Turkey and the Islamic countries that try to emulate Turkey, this election fashioned through with muscular nationalism and outright corruption, vesting absolute and irrevocable power in one individual, could be giving some ideas to a certain individual here in the United States.
And just like the Turks, a good percentage of Americans would go along for the ride, not knowing the long-term repercussions of draining our democratic ethos one teaspoon at a time… Until the day when we are left staring at an empty abyss.
79
Actually I do hope I am wrong, quite wrong, absolutely wrong. But I see nothing to pull us back from the thin ice we as a nation are on every day now.
1
That is so two years ago. How many things have we watched and heard since the orange one came down the escalator? Not only his shallow minded hardened supporters, but college educated republicans that see only tax cuts as the most important thing, forgetting where we were in 2008 & where we are economically has been a 10 year road- not a 512 day great man plan.
6
I don't know if you were asleep in civics class but I was wide awake. Unlike Russia, Turkey, Venezuela and a few renegade countries it's not that easy to amend the U.S. constitution. You need a 2/3 majority from all the states' legislatures. Not an easy feat. The only thing I would give you is that Trump is lucky he belongs to the same party that controls both houses of Congress that tolerates his buffoonery, corruption, insolence and every negative while dragging down the image of the United States into the gutter. As long as they are willing to vote the same party back in control this November then yes we will be emulating Turkey, Russia and Venezuela.
I spent a lot of time in Turkey before Erdogan consolidated his power.
Recently, a friend who is not Muslim and she never wears a head cover except in a church - visited Istanbul.
And I was taken aback when she shared a photo of hers walking streets of Istanbul with her head covered.
I asked her the reason.
And she said, looking around at other Turkish women, she felt more comfortable wearing a covering.
That's the change this strong man has brought to this once very tolerant country.
Now, if she does the same thing in Izmir - a city opposed to religious extremism - I will definitely know that this strong man has destroyed Turkey for good.
54
Well, I guess that’s what the Turkish people want as they keep re-electing him.
My motto has always been “Don’t blame the politicians, blame the people who enable them.”
6
You call Turkey non tolerant because a women chose to cover her head without any one telling her to do so?? This is bizarre to say the least? What about the attacks on muslim women in the US for covering their head? What about the laws banning muslim head cover in Europe? are these examples of tolerance in your mind.
The world will be a better place when ISIS and Taliban are defeated as well as the western individuals who refuse to accept that free societies should give a choice to everyone and that Turkey will continue to thrive with hard work not depending on wether women chose or not to cover their head.
2
Considering he's used a false flag coup as carte blanche to imprison journalists and intellectuals who oppose him it's highly likely that the news has been incredibly biased in his favor and the Turkish people aren't getting reliable news.
3
Another tyrant consolidating power out of fear of those who are different. Donald Trump will be patting him on the back as he asks him how he can do the same here. Why are so many seemingly rational people supporting such conservative and dangerous leaders? Why do they ignore their anti-Constitutional views and outright lies to protect their views.
59
Deep in our hearts, we humans want to belong to a powerful tribe, and/or we're afraid not to belong to the powerful tribe. Working democracy is messy and requires utmost courage to maintain. Ultimately, however, the people will one day (once again) find themselves fighting in the streets for the rights they or their forebears surrendered. Democracy is messy, but it's also necessary.
Trump already shook his hand and patted him on the back in the White House while his thugs were beating American citizens right outside the gates.
The threat of fascism continues to rear its ugly head. Citizens who are tired of weak democracies deem the answer lies with a more powerful, more authoritarian leader. This is happening all over the world. China's President with a new constitution including Ji-Ping thought. There's Maduro down in Venezuela and Vladimir Putin of course. Poland has moved to the right as has Hungary and now Italy. Even in the US, the election of Mr Trump speaks volumes. The problem is of course, that people do not learn from history. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The world paid a huge price to defeat fascism in WWII to the tune of at least 60 million dead and billions in damage. Yet here it is, not 80 years later, and we are setting ourselves up to learnt he same very painful lesson. History does repeat itself because people refuse to learn from it.
54
Erdogan’s ever more repressive regime has imprisoned more journalists than any other country in the world, which says all you need to know about Turkey’s failing democracy. Donald Trump and Recep Erdogan share a common view that dissenting journalists are “enemies of the people” and although for the moment only Erdogan has the power to arrest and incarcerate them wholesale, I don’t believe for a moment that Trump would hesitate to do the same if he could. The way things are going, the GOP Congress would roll over and let him do it.
46
The slippery slope to theocracy continues. The West should have in place robust protections for when Turkey inevitably breaks off with the democracies of the world. Having them as part of NATO is a liability.
18
Carlos, on the contrary to what you say; Turkey is no longer the Sick Man of Europe. It is a vibrant state, where the people know their place under the sun. Although the enemies of Modern Turkey are trying to harm Turkey (through currency manipulation), Turkey will not only survive but prosper, if it sticks to its national policies rather than playing second fiddle to Europe. It is time Europe got used to INDEPENDENT minded Turkey.
Ugh, how far Turkey has fallen in such a short time. It seems like just yesterday that Turkey was poised to join the EU as the world's best example of a modern, democratic, secular state populated with a Muslim majority. But Erdogan has ruined that option for his people. His goal is the complete Islamization of Turkey and he is quickly pulling it off. Turkey has always existed geographically in both Europe and The Middle East but had always favored the West's approach to democracy. Now, with Erdogan, that is over. Sadly, Turkey will soon be just another Iran.
13
I think it's better for them to stay out of the failing E.U. That union is a train wreck waiting to unravel.