Turkey seems to have voted yesterday to greatly expand the powers of President Recep Erdogan, choosing to add 18 amendments to its constitution, which in part:
- Abolish the role of prime minister in favor of a vice president
- Grant the president unilateral power to dismiss parliament, appoint ministers and judges, enact laws, and declare a state of emergency
- Reset Erdogan's term limits, allowing him to potentially stay in office until 2029
It's worth asking: As the opposition moves to challenge a huge portion of the vote share and international monitors question the result, how did Turkey get to this point in the first place?
- 1980: Turkey's current constitution, written following a military coup, envisions the presidency as a less powerful and non-partisan secular role.
- 2007: The country approves a constitutional referendum that allows the president to be directly elected. Previously, presidents had been elected by parliament.
- 2014: Erdogan becomes the first directly elected president and quickly moves to consolidate his power, usurping independence from the courts and instigating a crackdown on the free press.
- 2016: A failed coup causes Erdogan to implement a nationwide state of emergency that still remains in place while numerous terrorist attacks, particularly those at an Istanbul nightclub frequented by foreigners and Istanbul's international airport, further heighten tensions.
- Early 2017: The government presents the complicated constitutional reforms — 18 amendments in total — and the resultant strengthening of the presidency as necessary to create a more efficient government.
- March-April 2017: Erdogan's push to hold the referendum in a fraught security environment, cracking down on dissenting voices and campaigning on a pro-security platform during a state of emergency, likely nudges some undecideds toward a vote for 'yes.'
