The rhetoric turns into harsh and somewhat insulting in both sides but No front is certainly more agressive and frustrated. They play the victim side which is a frequent cultural code to turn to. Three CHP women claimed to be beaten by AKP followers yesterday. The No media used their claim but today we learn that it was a single person who attacked them when they have knocked his door to distribute no campaign leaflets. The guy might be an AKP voter but is this case enough to declare that “AKP people attacked CHP activists?” In the mean time, deep Leftist no or boycott bloc focused on those leftists who is pro-yes in the referendum. They do not abstain from using violence against their comrades… My guess is Yes votes will be more in the referendum. Some MHP voters and some Kurdish voters seem to plan vote for Yes. But the margins may not be big… Well we will see… I hope this referendum rhetoric will not turn uglier…
Today’s Zaman: A billboard ad put up by the Republican People?s Party which claimed that saying ?yes? to constitutional reforms would mean saying ?yes? to Muslim women being dressed like nuns drew strong criticism from the Justice and Development Party government.
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Controversial posters of the CHP
ABDULLAH BOZKURT – Post-referendum era
Who is pro-yes and who is pro-no?
Erdoğan in Istanbul [istanbul rally photos taken from PM Erdoğan’s son’s (Bilal Erdoğan) twitter public account!]
Pro-Yes panel in Istanbul interrupted by protesters
Erdoğan in Istanbul [istanbul rally photos taken from PM Erdoğan’s son’s (Bilal Erdoğan) twitter public account!]
Turkish opposition steps up referendum campaign
Turkey’s main opposition party CHP has detailed its hostility to the constitutional amendments proposed by the ruling AK party, which will be voted upon in a referendum on 12 September.
ANDREW FINKEL – Yes or no
Yes to reform package is important for EU process by Alİ Yurttagül
LALE KEMAL – The virtues of a yes vote
Post-referendum tutelage mobilization
What have they said ?yes? to so far?
Kurds? test with boycott
Erdogan seeks Kurdish support for reforms
ANDREW FINKEL – Referendum: no longer a done deal
Leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu greets his supporters during a rally in Ankara September 5, 2010. A referendum on a constitutional reform bill in Turkey will be held on September 12.? Read more » REUTERS/Umit Bektas
A Constitutional Referendum is Days Away
Mavi Boncuk |
A constitutional referendum on a number of changes to the constitution will be held in Turkey on 12 September 2010, although it had initially been expected for July 2010. The changes, which relate to the role of the judiciary and the military, were passed in parliament in late April and early May 2010 with over 336 votes, below the two-thirds majority of 367 votes needed to pass them directly,but enough to send them to a referendum within sixty days after President of Turkey Abdullah Gül signs the law.
Where do civil society organizations stand with respect to the referendum? by MAHMUT ARSLAN
YAVUZ BAYDAR – Beyond the referendum, an imposing agenda
Next week today we shall know what Turkey?s primary direction is. Votes cast in the referendum, and even those that are not cast, will tell us whether the people still trust the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its leader to carry through the expected reform agenda and whether adversaries of the AK Party are emerging as trustworthy alternatives for next year?s elections
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – MHP?s attitude
Why are the CHP women outdated?
ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ – 1980 coup plotters could and should be sent to jail!
What is the Referendum About?
No one seems to know. Reports from Turkey speak of marches of ?yes? voters and ?no? voters in the September 12 referendum on changes to the Turkish constitution. There is chanting in the streets and people reportedly are beating each other up over ?yes? or ?no?. Yet no one seems to know what the proposed changes are. I haven?t found the list in the press either. The whole referendum has become ?yes? for PM Erdogan and the AKP, ?no? against Erdogan. (see my previous post on this)
The Kurdish Kurdish Opening
I’ve been on the road lately, so I’m just now catching up on current developments. One article that jumped out at me is Henri Barkey’s Aug. 31 piece on the Foreign Policy website, “Turkey’s Silent Crisis.” In the article, Barkey — who just returned from a trip to Southeast Turkey — takes a look at the resurgent Kurdish problem in Turkey and at some of the trouble brewing under the surface. One of the interesting developments he looks at is how Kurdish politicians in Turkey are increasingly organizing an effort to move towards some form of local self government (trying to nip this movement in the bud, the Turkish state is currently prosecuting dozens of Kurdish mayors in the southeast). From his article:
Charter referendum new test for Turkey’s PM Erdogan | Reuters
What?s in The Referendum? Let?s Compare.
A very kind reader of this blog sent me this pdf, which presents the existing constitutional language on the left and the proposed changes on the right, so an easy comparison is possible. (Still all in Turkish. I?m racing a deadline, so can?t do the translation. Sorry.) Here?s the pdf: anayasa_karsilastirma
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Reflections on referendum campaigns
YAVUZ BAYDAR – Crossroads between ?yes? and ?no?
‘No’ voters are defenders of 1980 coup, says Turkish PM
Discover more from Erkan's Field Diary
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.