[Dhaka Tribune] ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
turned a historic corner this month, as approximately 51.4% of over 58 million voters marked "yes" for the charter amendment which transforms the parliamentary governmental structure into an executive one, giving the president expansive powers.
In a televised statement, President Erdogan thanked the voters, looking confident in his newfound transformative role. He remarked that a deep and significant change has taken place, and that a new era has started.
The former mayor of Istanbul has risen through the ranks of political power to become the most powerful president in Turkey’s history.
The referendum enables the president to rule uncontested after the 2019 elections, have two terms, and appoint bigwigs, judges, plus the cabinet, with minimal oversight from a weakened parliament without a prime minister.
What caused this radical turn of events in a land that held parliamentary democracy since 1920s?
Terror-tremors
Turkey is still reeling from the terrorist attacks, and a strongman rule has gained favourability.
Upon landing at Ataturk Airport, one sees a memorial dedicated to the 45 people killed by a terrorist attack last June. The IS terrorists’ gunfire and suicide kaboom inside the airport injured over 200.
Multiple kabooms have taken place across the nation, some by IS and others by Kurdish hard boys. Moreover, the attempted military coup from the middle of last year left 290 fatalities, and reminded the citizenry of instability in their republic.
Travelling across Istanbul, one gets a sense of vibrancy that has not been diminished by the referendum. It’s the commercial hub of the nation after all, people are coming, people are selling, it’s a marketplace of all commodities, big and small.
A divided Turkey
To gain a perspective from the field, I talked to a Turkish carpet-seller near Blue Mosque, who lamented how IS attacks have scarred the nation. Another mentioned that gaining access to the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
remains a pipe-dream, as 80% of the EU members do not want Turkey in their organization.
I spoke to a gentleman inside a bookstore in Taksim Square, the heartland of Istanbul. He mentioned that the "yes" vote is a regressive step. Having studied in the US, he knows that a presidential system of governance works in America, with its checks and balances, but that is not the case in Turkey. The institutions are not formed for an effective counterbalance to expansive presidential powers.
A Kurdish restauranteur in the Sultan Ahmet tourist district remarked that he cannot be happy with the "yes" vote, as politicians are prone to corruption. Although he is not particularly satisfied with the current parliamentary system, giving the president more powers is not the solution.