| Submit your comments on this article |
| The Grand Turk |
| Turks vote in 1st direct presidential election |
| 2014-08-11 |
| [ARABNEWS] Turks voted Sunday in their first direct presidential election, a watershed event in the country's 91-year history that could cement Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi only they haven't dumped him yet... 's position as Turkey's all-powerful leader. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade, is the strong front-runner to replace incumbent Abdullah Gul for a five-year term. Now in his third term as prime minister at the head of the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Erdogan has been a polarizing figure. He is fervently supported by many as a man of the people who has led Turkey through a period of economic prosperity. Yet critics view him as an increasingly autocratic leader bent on concentrating power and imposing his religious and conservative views on a country founded on strong secular traditions. After a bitter and divisive ...politicians call things divisivewhen when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive,they're principled... pre-election campaign, Erdogan sounded more conciliatory in his final campaign speech Saturday, promising to "leave the old Turkey behind." "This country of 77 million is our country, there is no discrimination," he said. "We own this country all together." Some 53 million people are eligible to vote; an absolute majority is needed to win. Otherwise, the top two candidates go to a runoff on Aug. 24. Erdogan, whose party won local elections in March with about 43 percent of the vote, is widely expected to be elected, although it is unclear if he can avoid a runoff. Party rules barred Erdogan from serving another term as prime minister. Turkish presidents used to be elected by parliament but Erdogan's government pushed through a constitutional amendment in 2007, changing the procedure to a popular vote. |
| Posted by:Fred |