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TURKISH VOTERS SEEM to have backed their President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the way forward for the country, despite the leader’s iron-fisted approach with the EU and questionable handling of a failed coup attempt.
After a controversial result last Sunday (there were reports of voting irregularities), 51% of voters backed a motion expanding the powers of Turkey’s first democratically elected leader – a mirror image of the 52% who voted for him in the 2014 elections, equal to 21 million people.
But Erdoğan’s political career had a very different beginning – he began as an activist fighting for the freedom of religious expression, thrown into prison for reading an Islamic poem in public, and backed by the EU as their preferred election candidate when he got out.
Western leaders saw Erdoğan as Turkey’s best chance at peace and unity. But years later, the country seems more and more divided.
Rags-to-riches
Erdoğan grew up in the north-eastern town of Guneysu – a tiny, ultra-conservative town located five miles from the Black Sea.
Every summer he returns to the village and is worshipped by the locals (much like any world leader returning to the place they grew up).
Here are some things locals told the Sunday Times Magazine in their piece The Iron Man of Turkey:
He’s the kindest and strongest man in Turkey. But he’s also one of us. He played with my son in my garden as a child and now he is our president. Nothing makes me more proud.
“When he last visited he saw my husband was ill.
He’s a wonderful leader for our country. He’s said he’ll come over for breakfast next time he’s here. I know he will. I trust him.
Erdoğan is described as religious and smart. When young, he dreamed of wanting to become a football player. But ‘discouraged’ by his father, he decided to pursue politics instead (which his father wasn’t too pleased about either).
A champion of Islam
Between the fall of the Ottoman empire at the end of the first World War and Erdoğan’s election, Turkey was a secular state torn between the Middle Eastern culture and liberal progression in Europe.
Erdoğan sympathised with the cast-off Muslims in Turkey and looked to push back against extreme religious oppression.
By the time he was 40, he had become mayor of Istanbul. “A lot of people feared that he would be Islamist,” said a former diplomat.
He just wasn’t. He was extremely efficient. He cleared up rubbish, the water shortage and traffic congestion in no time.
After being given a 10-month prison sentence for reading an Islamic poem at a gathering in Turkey’s southeast (forbidden under the Turkish constitution) Erdoğan emerged as one of the country’s most promising and modern figures.
In the country’s first democratic election in 2003, Erdoğan was elected to power as Prime Minister, with the backing of the European Union.
He was elected President in 2014 in a role that he tailored for himself, and took on a far more active role in politics than his predecessors: ruling behind the scenes, and using his democratic mandate as a defence.
With new powers at his helm, Erdoğan has the power to appoint government ministers and senior officials, appoint half of the members in the country’s highest judicial body, declare states of emergency and issue decrees.
Following last weekend’s election, the 63-year-old can now stay in power until 2029.
Break-up
The promising politician’s relationship with the EU all started to go wrong when Erdoğan began extending religious freedoms as he promised – but the EU disagreed on.
For example, shortly after coming to power, the new leader lifted a ban on students wearing hijabs to university, a move the EU criticised, but that young Muslim women said allowed them to go to university.
That same disagreement cropped up again this year, when Erdoğan compared EU leaders to ‘Nazis’ that were regressing back to ‘World War II’.
It was in response to an EU court’s landmark ruling granting businesses permission to ban employees from wearing hijabs or other religious symbols if it’s against their dress-code.
“The European Union’s court, The European Court of Justice, my esteemed brothers, have started a crusade struggle against the (Muslim) crescent,” Erdoğan said in a televised speech in response.
“Where is freedom of religion?” he said.
Shame on your European Union acquis! Shame on your values. Shame on your law and justice!
Europe is swiftly rolling back to the days before World War II.
Needless to say, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her colleagues weren’t too pleased.
The July coup
In July 2016, renegade soldiers tried to oust the Turkish President with guns, tanks and F16s, leading to massive riots in the streets and hundreds of people being killed in the crossfire.
Erdoğan survived the ousting however, but hit back with force: threatening to reintroduce the death penalty, shutting down media organisations, and sacking civil servants. Amnesty also reported incidents of human rights abuses on those who were detained.
The EU continuously criticised Turkey’s response to the failed coup, which further inflamed Erdoğan, who was increasingly unsure of who his allies were after the incident.
A widespread government crackdown continued, and eventually led to the targetting of the followers of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen – whom Erdoğan blames for the failed coup – and other government opponents.
Some 100,000 people – including judges and teachers – have been dismissed, and more than 40,000 people, including journalists and opposition pro-Kurdish legislators, have been arrested.
Hundreds of news outlets and non-governmental organisations have been shut down in what’s increasingly looking like a progression towards dictatorship.
What now?
But Erdoğan remains popular in Turkey’s conservative and religious heartlands, where he is seen as a strong leader who stands up against Europe, terror threats and coup-plotters.
Many believe he has improved services and health care, and given a voice to pious Muslims who felt marginalised by more secular governments.
He has crisscrossed the country to hold mass rallies and led an often abrasive and divisive campaign, accusing his opponents of siding with “terrorists”.
On top of increased terror-threats and political instability, the country is also dealing with the war in neighboring Syria, which led to an influx of 2.7 million refugees.
Although European leaders want to distance themselves from Turkey, they’re also trying to keep relations healthy because of those refugees who would otherwise travel to Europe.
With reporting from the Associated Press
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My god. Pro erdogan articles. Are you guys for real?
I suspect the Associated Press wish to keep their Turkish news desk open.
@Mick Tobin: Yeah? What’s the journal’s excuse. This is genuinely disturbing.
@Matty kinevan: To be fair, if you read the following phrase: “Erdoğan emerged as one of the country’s most promising and modern figures” – well, this wasn’t entirely untrue at the time in terms of perception, was it.
George W Bush lauded Erdogan as a shining example that muslim countries could have democracies, which of course served as a partial justification of his own disastrous Iraq intervention.
After that the article mentions the controversies the country got mired in quite exhaustively. So on a second reading I think it’s not quite as bad. If you take it as a description of how his poor ordinary Turkish voting base thinks of him, it’s probably fair enough actually.
@Mick Tobin: Yes but we know better don’t we. We are not subject to his propaganda like his voting base is. From the outside, it is obvious that he is a tyrant in progress, and he’s already made a lot of progress. I don’t believe for one second that the recent election was fair.
@Matty kinevan: pardon me, referendum.
@Matty kinevan: Neither do I.
Enough unstamped ballots, which are illegal to include, to commit massive fraud and push it over the edge. But the supreme election committee accepted them after consulting with the AK party. Even the Vishnu doesn’t have enough arms for a proper facepalm here.
Dunno if it would’ve made any difference, but I feel sorry even for these foolish Turks abroad who casted ballots to vote their fellow Turks into this.
@Mick Tobin: I’m friends with a turk, ex Muslim. He has no plans to return to turkey, even to visit family. He says it’s too dangerous since the far right have become so empowered over there, as he is an apostate. Truly scary stuff. Only gonna get scarier for folks like him, gays, women and so on. Wasn’t long ago that his government proposed letting rapists walk free if they marry their victims. Whole other world.
@Matty kinevan:
It’s not that different Matty depending where you go. My job takes me to Istanbul a couple of times a year. Its actually a great appt
*spot.
The younger generation do want change
@Tweed Cap: It is perfectly possible for huge numbers of people to want things that are objectively bad and to care about the wrong things. It’s one of the flaws of democracy.
@Tweed Cap: But young Turks in European capitals drive around with their cars and scooters honking and waving Turkish flags. Greater support for Erdogan compared to their parents.
Worrying stuff, and seeing a scene like that is precisely why I made a conscious decision not to get pissed off at them, because this drives them into their own brainwashed group, but to pity them. Even though their point was to provoke.
This stuff is sure to get worse before it gets better.
@Mick Tobin: Approximately 1800 Turkish citizens voted at the Embassy in Dublin the result of the votes in Ireland was 80% No and 20 % Yes
@Marie Gunbay: Great to hear
@Marie Gunbay: The scene I witnessed was in Amsterdam, where it’s about 2/3 yes. This was after Erdogan called the Dutch nazi remnants and a Turkish minister was banned. When the referendum results came in the streets were real quiet though, to my surprise. But Rotterdam had a sleepless night.
Good to hear that Turks in Ireland have more sense. But then again they’re the more cosmopolitan type from the larger Turkish cities. In countries like Holland and Germany they’re from Erdogan’s heartlands, and the rural conservative attitude has unfortunately not improved much over the generations.
It’s a complex social dynamics though. Turkish youths claim that the natives discriminate them, so they see little point in trying to integrate and stick to their own group. This is self-reinforcing process and very difficult to turn around.
Erdogan? Here’s where the RED THUMB is really missed.
Time to take the red pill folks. The journal has been compromised.
@Matty kinevan: spot on….very sad but true
The Sultan in waiting, watch as he destroys what is left of Democracy in Turkey, with the blessing of the electorate of course.
@Lepanto: he can’t be any worse than Edna who continues to cling on to power and yet has not been ousted by his party or his compatriot Micky Martin. Different shades of Shite.
@Mary Murphy: Don’t be ridiculous. For all his political mediocrity, Enda doesn’t try to prosecute foreign citizens for making jokes about him in other countries.
He doesn’t imprison journalists for being critical of him, not that he could if he wanted to.
He doesn’t compare NATO allies to Nazis because they won’t host his rallies in their countries.
He doesn’t try to impose religion on public life and undermine the secular principles of our constitution.
Erdogan does all those things. There is no comparison.
He is a dictator pure and simple. Just wait until the next 10 years unfold. Turkey is going back to the 1500′s. I’ve tried to debate with Turks that support Erdogan on various forums, they just don’t want to hear opposing views and they resort to threats and abuse fairly quickly. It’s such a shame their on the slippery slope to oppression.
I pity the poor fools…
@Mick Tobin: So the T in Mr. T stands for Tobin? :-) Who knew
The dog man or whatever his name is has repeatadly threatened to “unleash the refuguees” into europe. Why cant we protect our own borders instead of transferring billions of euros and bowing to the threats of an islamic dictator c###?
@RoryA87: That would be too far right. Or would it be far too right? I’m not sure of the phrasing.
@George Brown: I think the term is “racinazismistaphobic” Keep up the lingo dude
Erdogan used the botched prospect of EU membership he never wanted anyway to rein in the military, the traditional guardians of the secular state, in a cynical act that will have Ataturk rolling in his grave for years to come.
Without these membership talks the Turkish army would have had Erdogan locked up for life years ago. The irony…
@Mick Tobin: his overreaching will hit critical mass at some point and as always in Turkey the military will step in
@Boganity: Yeah unless he locks up everyone but his sympathisers.. but sure how likely is that… wait a darn minute….
@Boganity: Problem is that he’s purged the military over the years…
Holy crap that is an incredibly generous and sympathetic article toward Erdogan!
@Luke Boyd: Show of solidarity with their fellow journalists, locked up by the thousands by this maniac? Naaaaaahhh
The West’s little Islamic dictator, responsible for having let half of ISIS have easy entry into Syria to topple the so called evil dictator Assad and to supply them with munitions and chemical weapons at every opportunity while buying their oil.
@Dick Durkin: You realise that Assad himself released Islamic radicals from prison during the Arab Spring protests in order to taint the resistance to his regime with Islamism?
If Erdogan is evil for flooding the place with radicals, then why isn’t Assad?
TLDR: Everyone bow down before the might of the new Turkish dictator and his Islamic greatness.
Really the journal? Really?
@DaveDoesTweets: Incredible isn’t it
To say that Erdogan champions “religious expression” is a very odd way to put it.
What’s he’s really doing is dismantling the secular principles upon which Ataturk built the republic.
Turkey was absolutely remarkable among majority muslim countries for their staunch secularism. I am disgusted to see Ataturk’s vision for Turkey being slowly beaten to death by this proto-tyrant.
@Malachi: Very well put sir
Not a balanced article
The West’s ISIS supply merchant in their proxy wars against the Syria/ Iran/ Russian axis.
He’s a dictator. Nothing more.
Now listen folks, Erdogan is far right, agreed? Now look at le pen and wilders. Can you honestly say that their policies, rhetoric and behaviour are the same as Erdogans? We need to start using words in the proper way and thinking more clearly if we’re gonna get through all this crap and be home in time to watch fair city
First, the media celebrated Chávez, now they try to push for Erdoğan, I’m slowly waking up to the reality that we are living in 1984, the more news I read the more disconnected I feel by it, mush of it reads like propaganda nowadays…….
The man who will kill all his enemies, attack Greece and exterminate the Kurds?
Well if Turkey attacks Greece what does NATO do they are both members….EU will have to mobilise against Turkey….Russia has defence pact with Turkey so Russia will mobilise….What will Trump do then…..
@John003: Never know what Trump might do from now on???
President Erdoğan might just wipe out his enemies first and then start on the Kurds, that might get him kicked out of NATO when he starts killing off people under the national interest??? Like Hitler?
He’s a dictator who wants to use Turkey’s laws to execute his opponents. Not even remotely a ‘champion’. Did the journal even read this before reposting?
Shame on u for this pro Erdogan trash
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