A fist-fight erupted in Turkey’s parliament yesterday after lawmakers approved changes to the country’s electoral rules that critics say are aimed at helping President Recep Tayyip Erdogan consolidate power.
The legislation “formally allows for the creation of electoral alliances, paving the way for a tie-up between President Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP) and their nationalist allies”, says Reuters. It was widely expected to pass, given the combined support of the AKP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Immediately after the parliament’s deputy speaker, Ayse Nur Bahcekapili, announced the voting result, a brawl erupted between nationalist lawmakers and those from the main opposition. “Several parliamentarians traded punches and shoved and chased each other in the chamber,” Reuters reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Turkey is due to hold elections next year, and Erdogan “will need to secure 51% of the vote to remain at the helm”, says The Washington Post.
“The president knows that a small shift in votes could mean a defeat in a contest he cannot lose,” Wolfango Piccoli, co-founder of London-based advisory firm Teneo Intelligence, told Bloomberg. “Further initiatives to maximise the chances of a positive outcome on ballot day are likely.”
The changes mean Erdogan’s ruling party can now enter a formal alliance with the nationalist party, permitting the smaller party to gain parliamentary seats even if it fails to pass the 10% electoral threshold. In turn, Erdogan would secure the nationalists’ continued support.
In addition, members of the country’s security forces will be allowed to enter polling stations on election day when invited by a voter. The government says this measure will stamp out intimidation by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but opposition groups say the presence of security forces could be used to rig votes.
Put together, the measures amount to a “serious threat” to fair and free elections, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said in a statement following meetings with representatives of eight other parties.
“The risk of holding elections under the shadow of guns could put voters under pressure,” CHP lawmaker Ugur Bayraktutan told a parliamentary committee.
-
August 17 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include voting rights of felons, misdirection on the way to the Alaska summit, and more
-
5 crime-ridden cartoons about National Guard deployment in DCCartoons Artists take on the crime of littering, the real criminals in DC, and more
-
Trump and Modi: the end of a beautiful friendship?In the Spotlight Harsh US tariffs designed to wrest concessions from Delhi have been condemned as 'a new form of imperialism'
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rivalSpeed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
