Turkey Referendum

All that's fine but don't forget the fact Erdogan has 'detained' tens of thousands of people, sacked thousands of people and wants to bring back the death penalty. Lord know what happened to those whom he accused of taking part in the Military Coup against him, not all are known of their whereabouts if I am not mistaken, happy to be told differently.

He now has 'total' control over the Parliament , he will shortly have the powers of a Dictator. Erdogan is so far refusing to accept there is cause for concern over the procedures for the ballot/vote and it's outcome , from 'any' source not just the Opposition Parties.

Erdogan has since taken the Presidency shown he has is prepared to use his power and ' influence ' to 'detain' those who oppose him so far. His reason for ultimate power is to take Turkey back to a hard line Muslim Nation and he has never been in favour of a Secular Turkey.

Erdogan may well not do it over night but it obvious he has a calculated plan and he now has achieved his goal.

If Erdogan wanted to be seen as being 'above board' he would surely be concerned to allay the concerns coming from various quarters as to how the referendum was held and the subsequent vote count and accusations of vote rigging.

I like Turkey very much and had some lovely holidays there. The people were extremely nice.

Erdogan is apparently popular because he has lifted millions of people out of poverty - improving, housing, health, education, etc. That is admirable and it is perhaps understandable that he has so much support.

However, I'm sad and worried that what was once a secular country is now changing and seems to be less tolerant of a variety of beliefs, opinions and lifestyles.

Exactly ilovecheese When you ain't got nothing, you've got nothing to loose.

TerriBull
That's true. He has done an awful lot for the poor and uneducated. Is it just a coincidence that these are the people who want an Islamic state. He knew exactly who he had to win over. As I said before this has been the plan since he was mayor of Istanbul.
I think he's been playing the eu. If by some fluke he was accepted to join that was a bonus, if he didn't he's where he is now

Petra Terribull Nigglynellie
Yes, I suppose that must be it. Maybe we would do the same in their position.

Sorry roses, the Turkish people are probably not going to be allowed to vote Erdogan out until 2029. Who knows what might have changed by then?

I wonder if Turkey had been allowed to join the EU things may have been different.

At least the people were able to vote on this matter ( which is something) Erdogan does seem very popular.Who knows if they made the right choice though, democracy and being able to vote politicians out, is a wonderful thing.

Having seen countries to the East of them in turmoil for the sake of so called democracy, perhaps certain sections of Turkish society feel they will be safer and more stable under a dictatorship? For them democracy equals years of instability, enormous hardship with no end in sight, and with constant interference from other countries. After all so long as you tow the party line you should be fine, and all most people want is to get on with their lives in peace, however that is achieved. A fact that we in the democratic West simply fail to understand.

I think I read somewhere that he has raised the standard of living for the very poorest in Turkey and therefore has the masses on side. I haven't been there, but I imagine from everything I read there is a sophisticated, westernised aspect in citities such as Istanbul, but time has probably stood still in the more rural areas and I suspect there is a disconnect between the two factions. Some who would like to be part of a western democracy and join the EU and a majority who would wish to remain entrenched in a strict Islamist theocracy.

ilovecheese
I can only speak for myself, but I think, yes, the more extreme form of Islam is on the rise.
As to bribing: if someone builds your town, village a new road, school, hospital and then asks for your vote ( in a very nice way you would be a fool to refuse. After all, what have you got to loose, your life is crap so it's a win win

Petra So you mean there are lots of people in Turkey who would like a strict islamist sort of society? or is it more that they have been bribed?

ilovecheese
For years Erdogan has been supporting the strict Islamist areas of Turkey with billions of Lira.
This was always on the cards. When he was Mayor of Istanbul he was inprisoned for saying amongst other things:
The Mosques are our barracks
The domes our helmets
The minarets our bayonets
And the faithful our soldiers.
He also said: Democracy is like a bus ride, I will get off when I want. This has been planned for many years.
Does the visa free travel still stand as was negotiated when he agreed to stop the migrants/ refugees coming to Europe?

Does anybody know why the people of Turkey voted for him? What were their reasons?

I haven't heard Cyprus mentioned but I hope with all my heart Cyprus is allowed to be 'left alone' to get on with it's own decisions.

Cyprus has been trying to built bridges I hope Erdogan and his cohort's don't stir up trouble over time.

Oops 'that was'

I wonder what will become of all Atatürk photos & images that I was displayed all over Turkey.
In the years that I have spent as a tourist in the beautiful country he was revered by most Turks.

We seem to be living in the age of "The Dictator" where hatchet faced men all over the world appear hell bent on causing mayhem. Turkey sounds such an interesting country in so many ways, but I wouldn't fancy visiting it now, I'm sad it was on my list. Erdogan seems hell bent on supressing any sort of dissent or even reasonable debate and worryingly wants to bring back the death penalty which will make it impossibe for them to join the EU. It's position in the world as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East is a very crucial one and particulary pivotal as it borders Syria. I hope it doesn't eventually become the sort of closed society Iran was a few years back and maybe still in is to a certain extent. It would certainly be contrary to Ataturk's vision of the modern country he wanted it to be.

Turkeys tourist industry has been in decline for a couple of years now but this will undoubtedly be the final nail in the coffin. Who wants to go on holiday and feel unsafe? Sadly Muslim extremists seem to be hell bent on ruining the tourist industry for the likes of Tunisia, Egypt and now Turkey.

Totally agree Anya. I enjoyed visits to Istanbul before Erdogan was in power. It was vibrant, cosmopolitan, friendly, with wonderful buildings (and food). Friends were planning last summer, to spend a week in Istanbul in December, partly work related. I declined the invitation to join them because of Erdogan and their trip was subsequently cancelled for the same reason.
His supporters are already being attacked. It will definitely affect tourism on the coast as well as the major cities.

Ataturk would be turning in his grave.

This will affect their tourist industry too.

Erdogan has detained , sacked people by the ' tens of thousands' since taking his Presidency.

Lord knows how scared some people must be feeling tonight. He will now have even more power to 'silence' his critics and the Judiciary, Opposition Parties , Kurds, Journalists and Media Operators , The Military are all especially in the frame.

Turkey is no longer a Democratic Country after this vote, it has given rise to yet another Middle East Dictatorship. I firmly believe Erdogan will also replace secularism with a hard line Muslim Control in time.

The Opposition Parties are challenging the irregularities found over the voting but they will get no where, Erdogan probably made sure of that before the count even started.

He ' could' hold power until 2029 . All State Bureaucracy is now held by one man. How depressing.

He will probably bring back the Death Penalty as he has shown an interest in doing so for years.

This is certainly a time when I would be happy to be mistaken about my thoughts!

48-52. Where have we heard those numbers before? And just like the other one we are being told that although the result was incredibly close that they will plough on with the changes ignoring the views of the large majority. My sympathies with the 48%.

And so it goes.

Erdogan has won by a narrow majority. Turkey has lost. The third populist disaster in less than a year.