Turkish battle over ‘executive presidency’ prompts tensions with the Netherlands and divisions at home
So far in a rancorous campaign season, the Turkish government or its opponents have invoked Nazi Germany, terrorist groups, fifth columnists and a Latin American dictator.
And that was in the campaign’s first two weeks.
There is more than a month to go before a referendum in April that will allow Turks to vote on constitutional amendments that could give Turkey’s dominating leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, vast new powers and allow him to remain in office for more than a decade.
But already, the poisonous rhetoric surrounding the campaign has aggravated tensions in this sharply divided nation, raising fears about the aftermath of the vote. And the anger has surged beyond Turkey’s borders, upending its foreign alliances, including in Europe. On Sunday, as part of an escalating feud with the Dutch government, Erdogan warned that the Dutch would “pay a price” after Turkish ministers were prevented from visiting the Netherlands over the past two days.
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