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Turks are voting in referendum to chose between a “Tyrant Sultan” or parliamentary system

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Turkey referendum,vote

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally for the constitutional referendum in Istanbul, April 15, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

People in Turkey have started casting their ballots in a controversial constitutional referendum that could place sweeping new powers in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with opponents fearing a possible authoritarian rule.

Polling stations opened in Turkey’s east at 7:00 a.m. local time (0400GMT) on Sunday and will close at 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT). Elsewhere in the country, the voting will begin an hour later.

Over 55.3 million Turks are eligible to vote in the referendum, over 1 million of them first-time voters. The results are expected late on Sunday.

Under the new constitution, the office and position of prime minister, currently held by Binali Yildirim, would be scrapped. The president would also be granted executive powers to directly appoint top public officials, including ministers, and assign one or several vice presidents.

The new system states that Turkey’s next presidential and parliamentary elections will be held simultaneously on November 3, 2019 and the head of state would have a five-year tenure, for a maximum of two terms.

The fresh constitutional changes would mean that Erdogan could stay in power for another two terms until 2029.

He could further resume the leadership of the Justice and Development (AKP) party as the president is no more required to be impartial and without party favor.

Additionally, the president would have the authority to draft the budget and declare a state of emergency.

Opinion polls have given a narrow lead for a “Yes” vote in the referendum while analysts believe the outcome remains too close to call.

At one of his final rallies in Istanbul’s Tuzla district on Saturday, Erdogan argued, “The new constitution will bring stability and trust that is needed for our country to develop and grow. Turkey can leap into the future.”

On the contrary, the opposition complains that the referendum has been conducted on unfair terms, with opposition voices squeezed from the media.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu warned at his final rally that Turkey was deciding if “we want to continue with the democratic parliamentary system or one-man rule”.

He also described the new system as “a bus with no brakes and whose destination is unknown.”

Last year, Turkey saw a host of terrorist attacks, most of them blamed on either the Daesh terrorist group or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The country further witnessed a failed military coup last July which was blamed on the movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen. He has denied the charges.

Since then, Turkey has been under a state of emergency that has enabled the government to suppress the media and opposition groups, which were believed to have played a role in the abortive putsch.

Turkish women call for ‘no’ vote in April referendum

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Hundreds of Turkish female protesters in Istanbul have called on the nation to vote “no” in an upcoming constitutional referendum aimed at increasing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers.

On Saturday, the protesters claimed that if the constitutional changes are approved, it will turn the country into a one-party system with all the power being in the hands of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Earlier, Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on the people to vote “yes” in the referendum, during a rally held in a sports arena in the Turkish capital Ankara.

On February 10, Erdogan approved the bill that will change the country’s political system into a presidential one if approved in a referendum, which is set to be held on April 16.

The proposed constitutional changes have been met with widespread protest across the country, with critics claiming that the AKP is using last year’s failed coup to expand Erdogan’s authority and crackdown on opposition.

More than 250 were killed in a matter of a day on July 15 last year, when a group of renegade army and police officers attempted to oust Erdogan.

The coup failed permanently after the president returned to his office and people forced the putschists to lay down arms. Erdogan then ordered a massive crackdown, which has seen more than 40,000 people jailed and some 110,000 others discharged from their jobs.

Turkey sets April 16 for vote to expand Erdogan imperial powers

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imperial-erdoganTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday rubber-stamped controversial constitutional changes that will boost his own powers, paving the way for a referendum on the legislation in April, AFP reports.

The government says the proposals to create an executive presidency will simplify the government structure, but opponents fear they will lead to one-man rule in Turkey.

“People will have the final say,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said in comments carried by the Anadolu news agency, announcing that the referendum would take place on April 16.

Parliament in January approved a new 18-article constitution to create an executive presidency in the NATO member state along the lines of the system in France and the United States.

Brawls erupted between lawmakers during debates over the bill, highlighting the divisive nature of the changes, the most far-reaching constitutional shift since the creation of modern Turkey in 1923.

Erdogan approved the legislation six months after an attempted coup against him by a rogue military faction in July last year.

Under the new constitution, the president will have strengthened executive powers to directly appoint top public officials including ministers.

The post of prime minister, currently held by Erdogan loyalist Binali Yildirim, would be replaced with one or more vice presidents.

Erdogan’s supporters say the changes are necessary for effective government and to avoid fragile and unstable coalitions that were a feature of Turkey’s political scene in the past.

The bill also calls for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held at the same time, with the draft giving November 3, 2019 as the date of the next ballot.

Oscar-winner actor,Susan Sarandon she is not voting for Hillary Clinton: ‘I don’t vote with my vagina’

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She maintains it is important to have a new party in America to bring an end to the two-party system

She maintains it is important to have a new party in America to bring an end to the two-party system

‘I want the right woman,’ says the actor

By Maya Oppenheim,

Susan Sarandon has said she will not be voting for Hillary Clinton in the forthcoming presidential elections because she does not vote with her “vagina”.

The 70-year-old oscar-award-winning actor, who is known for her roles in Thelma & Louise and Dead Man Walking, said she wanted the “right woman” to become President.

Sarandon, who has formally endorsed Green Party candidate Jill Stein, explained she would not be voting for either Ms Clinton or Donald Trump. She argued it is imperative to get independent candidates up to the five per cent mark in order to start a new party.

“I want the right woman. There are great women that I admire that have headed nations,” the actor and activist, who was an outspoken Bernie Sanders supporter, told BBC Newsnight on Wednesday.

“You’ve had a woman, I don’t know how you felt about that but I don’t vote with my vagina you know? This is bigger than that and I don’t want to spend a lot of time talking about Trump and Hillary because that’s not why I’m here. This is bigger than who wins this election.”

After the interviewer Evan Davis pressed her about whether it was “indulgent” not to align herself with either of the main candidates, Sarandon argued that we were in this political situation because the public had been voting for the “lesser of two evils” for a long period of time. 

Sarandon maintained it was important to have a new party in America to bring an end to the two-party system. Sarandon also argued it was certain Ms Clinton would win because she had the backing of the “neoconservatives”, the press and the networks.

“I am worried about the wars, I am worried about Syria, I am worried about all of these things that actually exist. TTP and I’m worried about fracking,” Sarandon insisted. “I’m worrying about the environment. No matter who gets in they don’t address these things because money has taken over our system”.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/susan-sarandon-not-voting-hillary-clinton-vagina-a7395706.html

US election 2016: Bush dynasty will support and vote for Clinton Dynasty

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bush-dynastyUS Republican ex-President George HW Bush will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November, US news website Politico reports.

Mr Bush allegedly made the pledge to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, niece to US ex-President John F Kennedy.

The former president’s office has not confirmed the report, with a spokesman saying he was checking.

Mr Bush, who held office from 1989 until 1993, has not endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Neither has his son, Jeb Bush, who unsuccessfully competed for the Republican nomination, or other rivals in the race, Ted Cruz and John Kasich.

Ms Kennedy Townsend, a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, posted a photo on Facebook of a meeting with George HW Bush, alongside the caption: “The President told me he’s voting for Hillary!”

Mr Bush’s spokesman, however, was cautious.

“Those reporting how @GeorgeHWBush will vote this year, it’s not clear anyone was there to verify KKT [Kathleen Kennedy Townsend]. Still checking, keep your powder dry,” Jim McGrath wrote.

French MPs vote to criminalise denial of Armenian genocide

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French MP genocideThe new amendment covers all events which French law deems to be genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or slavery, including ‘denial or trivialisation’

By Rachael Pells,

French MPs have voted unanimously to pass a law banning the denial of crimes against humanity.

The amendment was passed as an extension of the current French holocaust law and includes “denial or trivialisation” of all events classed as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or slavery as punishable crimes.

The act means that denial of events such as the Armenian genocide will be punishable by up to one year in prison and a 45,000 Euro fine (approximately £37,760).

The French parliament passed an Armenian genocide law in 2001 and tried to ban denial of it in 2012. The law, which made it illegal to negate acts that parliament had decided were crimes against humanity, was blocked by the Constitutional Council, however, on the grounds that it was a limit on freedom of expression.

While the new motion is yet to be passed by France’s Senate, backers of the amendment hope for it to be implemented by the end of the year.

The bill also allows NGOs that campaign on slavery issues to take legal action against related denial crimes.

Nearly 1.5 million people were executed by Ottoman armies during World War One.

Turkish officials have said the killings were part of a collective tragedy during which both Turks and Armenians died, but Armenians have long campaigned for the mass murders to be categorised as a crime against humanity.

Last month, Germany voted to recognise the Armenian killings as genocide – a term rejected by ministers in Ankara

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce applauded yesterday’s vote by the German Bundestag

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Ed RoyceEd Royce: Germany’s vote to recognize Armenian Genocide is a major event

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce applauded yesterday’s vote by the German Bundestag to recognize the Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million innocent lives were taken, the Armeian Assembly of America reported.

“Germany’s vote to recognize the Armenian Genocide is a major event.  Acknowledging this dark moment in history is a victory for human rights.  The annihilation of millions of Armenians was genocide.  Period.  And the 1.5 million innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken deserve recognition,” he said.

Germany sparks Turkish outcry with Armenian genocide vote

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Untitled-1BERLIN/ANKARA | By Madeline Chambers and Tulay Karadeniz

(Reuters) Turkey recalled its ambassador to Germany on Thursday in protest against a parliament resolution declaring the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a “genocide” at a time when Europe is looking for Ankara’s help in the migrant crisis.

Turkey rejects the idea that the killings of Christian Armenians during World War One amounted to a genocide. Its Deputy Prime Minister said the vote was a “historic mistake”.

Even before Germany’s Bundestag lower house of parliament passed the symbolic resolution by an overwhelming majority, Turkey’s prime minister had condemned the motion as “irrational” and said it would test the friendship between the NATO partners.

Within two hours, Turkey had recalled its ambassador to Germany for consultations and summoned a top German diplomat to the foreign ministry in Ankara, according to officials.

Armed riot police were deployed outside the German consulate in Istanbul, near Taksim square, in case of protests.

President Tayyip Erdogan, in Nairobi, said the resolution would seriously affect relations with Germany and the government would discuss what steps Ankara would take.

“The way to close the dark pages in your own history is not by besmirching the history of other countries with irresponsible and groundless parliamentary decisions,” tweeted Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

A spokesman for the ruling AK Party responded swiftly to the vote, saying it had “seriously damaged” relations.

The timing could not be worse for Merkel, who is relying on the success of an EU-Turkey deal she has championed to stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for cash, visa-free travel rights and accelerated talks on EU membership.

 

Armenia Police reported on 452 cases of vote rigging, says official

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f566eb41df0bac_566eb41df0bbb.thumbA total of 452 cases of election irregularities have been reported to the police by the media and individual citizens since the day of the December 6 constitutional referendum.
Some 25 appeals were submitted during the political campaign, with the rest being filed on the day of the voting or later, Hovhannes Kocharyan, the head of the Legal Department of the Armenian Police, told reporters on Monday.
“Some 314 reports were from the media, with 21 being from NGOs and members of the ‘NO; front, eight from observers, five – from commission members, 62 – from individual citizens, 23 – from parties, and 19 – from police officers performing their service in electoral precincts,” he said, elaborating on the statistics.
“Seventy-eight reports on electoral wrongdoings were received from the human rights defender, and a probe was conducted or is still being conducted into 31 cases based on the information received. The remaining 47 cases are being considered, so in case of finding apparent signs of crime, we’ll get a proceeding under way in a manner prescribed by the Republic of Armenia Civil Procedure Code,” he added.

Report: tert.am

Opposition Group Cites Fraud: Bribes paid, says “Salvation Front”

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constitutional-referndum2015-new-armeniaOpposition groups which oppose changes in Armenia’s constitution say that a number of cases of fraud have been observed at polling stations during today’s referendum.  report ArmeniaNow 

The ballot in progress is on constitutional amendments envisaging Armenia’s switch from the current semi-presidential to a parliamentary form of government.

Before the referendum, the “No” camp representatives repeatedly pointed out that the referendum will pass with frauds, recalling previous elections.

“While higher representatives of authorities were recently promising that no election bribe would be delivered during this election, they have been delivering it since yesterday,” said Armen Martirosyan, deputy head of Heritage party, a member of New Armenia Public Salvation Front.

“We got a call that money was distributed in a minibus, in front of polling station 7/33, 116 people from a pastry factory came to polling station 7/23 with additional lists to vote, and a ballot stuffing was prevented at 7/22,” Martirosyan told media on Sunday.

According to Martirosyan, pressures on members of the committees are also very specific. “I have been a committee member since 1996 and since 2004 have been part of the Heritage party and I do not ever remember that these kinds of temptations and pressure on the members of the election committee have been carried out,” he concluded.

Raffi Hovannisian, the Heritage party leader, New Armenia civil group member, after filling in the ballot and putting it in the envelope tore it saying that he did it “for the sake of the Republic of Armenia”.

For five days the New Armenia Public Salvation Front, which brought together more than a dozen political and civil forces, including Founding Parliament and Heritage parties, has organized a sit-in in Liberty Square saying “no” to the constitutional amendments.