- Joined
- Dec 6, 2010
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News Index - 2019:
News Index - 2018:
News Index - 2017
Turkey Election: Erdogan Wins Landmark Victory
Sweeping Victory Extends Prime Minister's 12-Year Grip on Power in New Position
Aug. 11, 2014
- Kick Turkey out of NATO? It wouldn't be easy (Oct 11, 2019)
- Russia Is Trying to Sell Turkey Su-57 After U.S. Revoked Access to F-35 (Aug 27, 2019)
- Can Turkey Be a Trusted NATO Partner? (August 6, 2019)
- What Turkey's S-400 missile deal with Russia means for NATO (June 13, 2019)
News Index - 2018:
- Saudi Arabia's handling of Jamal Khashoggi's killing has resulted in a golden opportunity for Turkey (Oct 20, 2018)
- Crisis in Turkey: Should Europe Prop Up Erdogan?
- Erdogan’s search for new allies begins with allowing a German journalist to finally leave Turkey (August 20, 2018)
- The West Hoped for Democracy in Turkey. Erdogan Had Other Ideas. (Aug 18, 2018)
- Challenged by US and market crisis, Turkey turns to Europe (Aug 16, 2018)
- Turkey and US trade new threats in detained pastor row (17 August 2018)
- U.S. Threatens Further Sanctions Against Turkey Over Detained Pastor (August 17, 2018)
- Turkey says ready to discuss issues with U.S. without threats (August 15, 2018)
- Turkey raises tariffs on US products as row escalates (August 15, 2018)
- Turkey to Boycott US Goods, Erdogan ‘Ready for War’ (August 14, 2018)
- U.S. official warns of more actions against Turkey if pastor not freed (August 14, 2018)
- Trump’s move to block the transfer of 100 F-35 fighter jets to Turkey is a sharp blow to Ankara (Aug 13, 2018)
- Trump tariffs in retaliation for jailed American pastor send Turkey's economy plunging (Aug 13, 2018)
- Erdogan remains defiant as the lira crumbles further following Trump’s approval of higher tariffs and threat of sanctions (Aug 13, 2018)
- The worst may be yet to come for the Turkish lira (Aug 13, 2018)
- Talk fails to break impasses on American pastor held in Turkey (Aug 8, 2018)
News Index - 2017
News Index - 2016
- Turkey’s Erdogan Tries to Play Nice, After a Year of Bashing Europe (DEC. 28, 2017)
- US, Turkey announce end to visa dispute sparked by arrest (Dec 28, 2017)
- Turkey urges U.S. to review visa suspension as lira, stocks tumble (Oct 9, 2017)
- US embassy in Turkey halts visa services after arrest of employee (Oct 8, 2017)
- State Department Summons Turkish Ambassador After Bloody Brawl in D.C. (May 18 2017)
- Senator John McCain Wants Turkish Ambassador Expelled Back to His ‘Third World Country’ (May 18th, 2017)
- Erdogan's Supporters and Protesters brawl outside Turkey's embassy in Washington (May 17, 2017)
- International monitors deliver scathing verdict on Turkish referendum (April 17, 2017)
- Turkey referendum: The numbers that tell the story (April 17, 2017)
- Turkey's Constitution Referendum: Erdogan camp set to win after most votes counted (April 16, 2017)
- Consequences of Turkey's Constitution Referendum, explained in 60 seconds (April 14, 2017)
- Erdogan warns Europeans 'will not walk safely on the streets' if diplomatic row continues (March 22, 2017)
- ‘You Are the Future of Europe,’ Erdogan Tells Turks (March17, 2017)
- Turkey suspends 'high-level diplomatic relations' with Dutch (March 13, 2017)
- German Interior Minister: "A Turkish campaign has no business being here in Germany" (March 13, 2017)
- Turkey rallies row: Germany and Netherlands harden stance (March 12, 2017)
- Erdogan warns Dutch will pay the price for blocking his ministers from holding rallies in the Netherlands (March 12, 2017)
- Tensions rising between Turkish, European leaders before elections (March 12, 2017)
- Dutch row worsens Europe’s Turkey tensions (March 13, 2017)
- Turkey's president: 'Nazism is alive in the West' (March 12, 2017)
- Netherlands cancels Turkish foreign minister’s visit in spiraling feud between Europe and Turkey (March 11, 2017)
- Turkey referendum: More rallies banned in Europe (March 10, 2017)
- How a constitutional amendment could end Turkey’s republic (Jan 24, 2017)
- Erdogan Says Troops Will Be in Cyprus ‘Forever,’ Complicating Island Nation's Hopes of Reuniting (Jan 13, 2017)
- Turkey's lawmakers brawl in parliament over Constitutional changes (Jan 12, 2017)
News Index - 2015
- U.S. Order All Families of Istanbul Consulate Staff to Leave Turkey (Oct 30, 2016)
- Turkey sacks 10,000 more civil servants, shuts down 15 media outlets in latest crackdown (Oct 30, 2016)
- Turkey scolds Austria in EU membership dispute (August 5, 2016)
- Austria pushes EU to end Turkey membership talks (August 5, 2016)
- Turkish troops have sealed off Incirlik US/NATO nuclear air base (August 1, 2016)
- Germany warns Turkey against 'blackmailing EU' (August 1, 2016)
- Turkey says to back away from EU migrant deal if no visa-free travel (July 31, 2016)
- "Know your place!" - Erdogan accuse U.S General of "taking the side of coup plotters" (July 29, 2016)
- General Votel: Turkey unrest could affect Islamic State fight (July 29, 2016)
- Turkey’s President Is Using the Coup Attempt to Crack Down on the Media (July 29, 2016)
- Will Turkey Be Expelled From NATO? (July 27, 2016)
- Turkish authorities to shut down dozens of media outlets. 1,200 commissioned officers dismissed from the navy, air and land forces (July 27, 2016)
- Turkey issues warrants for 42 journalists amid criticism (July 25, 2016)
- Turkey Cracks Down on Journalists, Its Next Target After Crushing Coup (July 25, 2016)
- "Former NATO commander behind failed coup against Erdogan", said Turkish daily (July 26, 2016)
- Turkey's Erdogan shuts 1058 schools, 1229 charities in first state of emergency decree (July 23, 2016)
- Turkey declares a state of emergency for three months (July 20, 2016)
- Obama’s Support of Erdogan Is a Stark Reminder of Turkey’s Value to U.S. (July 20, 2016)
- Turkey post-coup crackdown nets 50,000 people (July 20, 2016)
- Turkey bans all academics from travel in latest post-coup measure (July 20, 2016)
- Turkey formally requests extradition of cleric from U.S. as purge widens (July 19, 2016)
- Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan signals death penalty return (July 18, 2016)
- Turkish president wants U.S. to send rival cleric home (July 17, 2016)
- The coup attempt in Turkey has presented the US and Europe with a huge dilemma (July 15, 2016)
- Former Miss Turkey Sentenced for "Insulting President Erdogan" (June 1, 2016)
News Index - 2014
- Putin, citing national security, signs Turkey economic sanctions decree (Nov 28, 2015)
- Russia Militarys Actions in Syria Cause Rift With Turkey (Oct 6, 2015)
- In Blow to Erdogan, Turkish Court Halts Closing of Schools Tied to His Rival (July 14, 2015)
- Turkey's regional ambitions evaporate along with friendships (March 3, 2015)
- Turkey Won't Link Air Defense System to NATO (Feb 19, 2015)
- Turkey to Keep Missile System Outside NATO as China Deal Looms (Feb 19, 2015)
- Brawl in Turkey parliament puts focus on Erdogan power plays (Feb 18, 2015)
- Turkey Investigating Minecraft Over Claims That It's "Too Violent" (Feb 11, 2015)
- Erdogan: presidential Turkey would be like UK, where Queen's in charge (Jan 31, 2015)
- Former Miss Turkey arrested for criticizing President Erdogan with satirical poem (Jan 21, 2015)
- Qatar-Egypt reconciliation embarrasses Erdogan (Jan 21, 2015)
- Turkey Threatens to Block Social Media Over Released Documents (Jan 20, 2015)
- Muslims never guilty of 'terrorist massacres,' Turkey's Erdogan insists (Jan 19, 2015)
- Turkish police arrest boy, 16, for insulting Erdogan (Dec 25, 2014)
- SUPPORT IN TURKEY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP LOWEST IN YEARS (Dec 19, 2014)
- Turkey's Descent Into Paranoia (Dec 19, 2014)
- In Push Against Gulen, Turkey Detains Police Officers and Journalists(Dec 19, 2014)
- EU: Media arrests in Turkey are against European values (Dec 19, 2014)
- A fresh round of arrests takes Turkey's relations with the European Union to a new low (Dec 20, 2014)
- Erdogan is crushing Turkey's media in his bid for untrammelled power (Dec 18,.2014)
- Turkish police arrest 23 in raids on opposition media (Dec 14, 2014)
- Turkey Issues Arrest Warrant For U.S.-Based Muslim Cleric Gulen (Dec 19, 2014)
- One NATO state wins big from Putin clash with West (Dec 8, 2014)
- Pope Francis visit: Turkey's Christians face tense times (Nov 26, 2014)
- The World According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Nov 26, 2014)
- NATO does not have the mechanism to expel Turkey (Nov 14, 2014)
- Turkey frees 12 radicals after 'ugly' attack on US sailors (Nov 14, 2014)
- U.S. sailors attacked in Turkey (Nov 13, 2014)
- Turkey and Europe: Problems with neighbors (Nov 1st, 2014)
- As Allies Go, Turkey is a Turkey (Oct 27, 2014)
- Turkey throwing a spanner in NATO works (Oct 17, 2014)
- Turkey Election: Erdogan Wins Landmark Victory (Aug 11, 2014)
Turkey Election: Erdogan Wins Landmark Victory
Sweeping Victory Extends Prime Minister's 12-Year Grip on Power in New Position
Aug. 11, 2014
ISTANBUL- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan swept to a landslide victory in Turkey's first direct presidential election, extending his 12-year grip on power and securing a mandate to fulfill his pledge of creating a "new Turkey."
The country's election board announced Mr. Erdogan had won according to preliminary results, obtaining enough votes to avoid a runoff. With 99% of the ballots counted, the premier had secured 52%, far ahead of his nearest opponent Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a diplomat with a low profile in domestic politics who garnered 38% of the vote, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.
In a victory speech to thousands of flag-waving supporters at his governing Justice and Development Party's Ankara headquarters, Mr. Erdogan called for societal reconciliation after a brutal campaign that was widely seen as hardening divisions across the country. But he also warned his political enemies against undermining Turkish security.
"Without a doubt, new Turkey, great Turkey, leading Turkey has won today. We are closing the doors on one era, and we are now taking our first step to a new phase," Mr. Erdogan said. "We will face down whoever threatens our national security."
Sunday's result—Mr. Erdogan's ninth consecutive election victory including referendums and municipal polls—cements his position as Turkey's most powerful ruler since the Republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was president in the 1930s. Raised in Istanbul's impoverished dockside district of Kasimpasa, Mr. Erdogan will now move into Ataturk's Cankaya palace on a hilltop overlooking central Ankara.
Mr. Erdogan's pledge to beef up the largely ceremonial presidency could reconfigure political power in Turkey—a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member and key Washington ally in a region beset by conflict. The premier's supporters argue that the shift to direct elections will justify a more active role for the country's head of state with an electoral mandate. Until recently Turkey's parliament elected the president.
Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party warned Sunday that Mr. Erdogan's victory would herald the creation of a more authoritarian system centered around his personal appeal.
"The risk is that the whole system of checks-and-balance will be further weakened as he tries to experiment with this executive presidency, running state affairs from the palace and bringing everything to uncertain territory," said Wolfango Piccoli, managing director at Teneo Intelligence, a New York-based political risk consultancy.
Underpinning Mr. Erdogan's electoral success was his strong support among conservative Muslims, many of whom joined the ranks of a burgeoning middle class as nominal annual incomes tripled to $10,000 per capita under his reign. The premier also elevated the social status of many of his more pious constituents, who felt treated as second-class citizens in a constitutionally secular society. His government has raised the status of religious high schools and allowed head scarves for women in state universities and in most public offices.
Mr. Erdogan's victory was widely expected after he dominated the election season and spent on his campaign five times what his rivals did combined.
Despite his popularity, the Turkey that Mr. Erdogan will govern as president is starkly polarized. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center portrayed Turkey as a divided society, with 48% approving of Mr. Erdogan and 48% disapproving. Many in Turkey's secular opposition feel excluded from politics, a trend evidenced by the turnout of around 75%—the lowest participation in a national election since 1977 and far below the 90% levels for local elections in March, which were seen as a more competitive vote.
"I didn't vote. There really wasn't any candidate that I would travel back for," said Elif Fida, a 20-year-old student in the coastal town of Edremit, one of the many Turks on summer vacation who opted not to go home to vote.
With Mr. Erdogan safely sweeping the presidency, attention will now turn to his choice of prime minister, which analysts say is likely to be a malleable loyalist to maintain control over his Islamist-rooted political party, known as AKP after its Turkish initials. Previous prime ministers who left parliament for the presidency, such as Suleyman Demirel and Turgut Ozal, overestimated the loyalty and unity of their parties and failed to retain control.
Mr. Erdogan has said he would continue as prime minister until he is sworn into the presidency on Aug. 28, arguing that leaving his post to a caretaker would trigger national distress. But the premier will move swiftly to lay out future steps for his governing AKP, commencing the party's 50-member executive and decision-making committee Monday morning.
The government has done little to quell months of speculation and uncertainty over the future make up of cabinet. Outgoing President Abdullah Gul, an old ally of the premier and co-founder of the AKP, who helped clinch membership talks with the European Union, ruled out a swap with Mr. Erdogan. During his victory speech, the premier didn't include Mr. Gul in a long list of thank yous.
"As president, my recommendation is for Turkey to return to its real agenda…strengthening itself on the road to democracy and law," Mr. Gul said while casting his vote Sunday.
Mr. Erdogan's victory caps a dramatic reversal in fortunes from six months ago, when he was besieged by street protests, a sinking economy and a sprawling corruption scandal that snared dozens of his top allies. The premier survived those challenges by cracking down on antigovernment protests and overhauling judicial institutions to head off the corruption investigation, which he claimed were an attempt to overthrow his government.
But domestic political victories have also drawn concern in some Western capitals that Mr. Erdogan has lurched toward a more autocratic system of governance, evoking comparisons to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has also occupied the posts of head of state and prime minister. Some analysts have suggested Mr. Erdogan's populism, polarizing rhetoric and omnipresence on television is more akin to former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez.
Turkish voters on Sunday declared their faith in Mr. Erdogan's vision for a new Turkey.
"He met my expectations to this day, his vision and stance are very close to mine, and I'm very happy with all the services," said Aysenur Celik, a 26-year-old clothes designer after casting her vote in the conservative Istanbul district of Fatih. "I'll keep voting for Erdogan and his party as long as they maintain this."
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