Displaying items by tag: Referendum
Turkey's Constitutional Referendum and Erdogan's Faded Democratic Credentials
by Gareth H. Jenkins
The Turkish constitutional referendum of April 16, 2017 dealt yet another blow to President Tayyip Erdoğan's already faltering claim to democratic legitimacy. Not only did both the referendum and campaign that preceded it fall short of democratic norms but the Turkish authorities' refusal to investigate the numerous reports of fraud and apparent irregularities suggests that the regime no longer feels the need to maintain even the semblance of the rule of law.
Friday, 28 April 2017 11:41
The Turkish Referendum that Was Not
by Halil Gürhanlı
There was, arguably, hardly any point in Turkey's April 16 referendum. Despite all the hype within the "yes" and "no" camps, both of which considered it as the most important vote ever to be cast in the country's history, the referendum was never going to yield any major change in practical terms regardless of its result. However, the regime needed a seal of approval, without which it would have been impossible to keep acting as if it has even minimal democratic legitimacy. The referendum also served to further polarize and consolidate the bipolar hegemony in Turkish politics around the figure of President Erdoğan.
Ticking Clocks: Erdoğan and Turkey's Constitutional Referendum
Whatever the outcome, the Turkish constitutional referendum on April 16 will not resolve the country's chronic domestic instability, heal its deepening social divisions, revive its flagging economy or end its growing international isolation. But it will shape both the nature of the further turbulence to come and the duration of what is already the final stage of the Erdoğan era.
The Impact of Turkey's Constitutional Amendment Will Depend on Implementation
By Oskar Taxén (vol. 3, no. 16 of the Turkey Analyst)
The recently approved constitutional amendment in Turkey has been hailed by many as a democratic reform but concurrently been assailed as an abrogation of the principle of separation of powers. However, from a strictly legal point of view the impact of the amendment is most uncertain. Although it does contain principles that promote democratization, much will depend on the implementation. The package will require amendments to approximately 200 laws and the outcome of this process remains uncertain.
Referendum Victory Opens the Way for Erdogan's Presidency
By Halil M. Karaveli (vol. 3, no. 15 of the Turkey Analyst)
The popular approval of the constitutional amendments opens the way to the presidency for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Further, it is now likely that Erdoğan will seek to introduce a presidential system. That prospect is sure to stoke the fears that Turkey is moving toward authoritarianism. Yet the introduction of a presidential system could in fact also facilitate a resolution of the Kurdish problem.