Trump reportedly called the Turkish president to applaud a powergrab
President Donald Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in a Turkish referendum granting him sweeping new powers, according to multiple local and international outlets.
The constitutional shift proposed by the referendum will essentially knock down the remaining democratic barriers against authoritarianism, leaving Erdogan with enormous power. Independent election monitors have already raised serious concerns about whether the referendum itself met democratic standards.
According to local news site Hurriyet, Turkish presidential sources said that a written statement would be made available on the call. Atlantic reporter Rosie Gray also reported on Twitter that a White House readout of the call would be forthcoming.
The shift has been a goal of Erdogan’s for years, and continues his decade-long pattern consolidating power over the government.
Erdogan was previously the head of Turkey’s parliamentary system as prime minister, before being pushed out by term limits and becoming the president. As president, he transformed what used to be a largely ceremonial position into a more powerful one, and has recently conducted deep purges of non-state media, academia, the military, and the judiciary. Since a failed coup last summer, Turkey has been in a continuous state of emergency, granting the government increased power and leading to the restriction of civil liberties and due process.
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-reportedly-applauds-turkeys-authoritarian-power-grab-e18f47b58cf0
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