#TURKEY: Vote On Swedish, Finnish NATO Membership Unlikely Until May

[world politics news]

Turkey is unlikely to vote on Sweden and Finland’s accession to Nato before pivotal domestic elections expected in May or June this year, according to a senior Turkish official.

“We are not in a rush here, they are in a rush to join Nato,” İbrahim Kalın, chief adviser to Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, told journalists.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TURKEY: Pres. Erdogan's 2018 Rival Forms New Party

[world politics news]

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top rival in Turkey's 2018 election said on Monday he would quit the main opposition party and establish his own movement.

Muharrem Ince, a former Republican People's Party Member of Parliament, picked up 30.6 percent of the vote in the last election behind Erdogan with 52.6 percent.

Ince was a combative force during the campaign, building up solid support despite Erdogan and his ruling party's alliance partner, the Nationalist Movement Party, announcing the vote just months in advance.

Since then, Ince has stayed in the limelight and brandished his secular, nationalist credentials in a nationwide tour dubbed the "Motherland movement in 1,000 days" in 2020.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TURKEY: Erdogan Reacts Coldly To Proposal To Lower Vote Threshold To Elect Presidents

[world politics news]

Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is reacting coldly to the idea of lowering the percentage of votes required to elect a president from 50% to 40%, saying voters want to see "serious politicians" elected to the office. The next presidential election is in 2023.

The issue was raised by former minister Faruk Çelik who suggested that the presidential elections should allow just 40% of support in the first round to be elected.

In April 2017, the Turkish people voted to switch Turkey from a parliamentary system to an executive presidential system of governance.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TURKEY: Compulsory Military Conscription Reduced To Six Months From A Year; Move Towards More Professional Military

[world politics news]

Turkish Parliament has passed a bill reducing compulsory conscription from 12 months to six months and making paid military service exemption permanent. The moves are part of a plan to rely more on well-trained professionals instead of young men who had to undergo short military training before being dispatched to risky areas for counter-terrorism operations.

The bill, adopted by 335 votes in favor out of the 600-seated parliament with support from all parties, was signed into law by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later the same day. More than 100,000 soldiers currently serving the one-year term will be discharged early as they finish serving six months.
[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TURKEY: Gov't Says It Won't Comply With US Sanctions On #Iranian Oil

[world politics news]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says the nation plans to keep purchasing Iranian oil in defiance of American sanctions on the rogue regime, setting up another clash between the U.S. and Turkey. Turkish officials have dismissed the U.S. threat of sanctions to constrain the choices of other countries.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Erdogan Wins Election To Powerful New Presidency; Party Wins Parliament

[world politics news]

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been re-elected as Turkey's president, while an alliance led by his ruling party also won a majority in parliament. The vote ushers in a powerful new executive presidency, in line with constitutional changes narrowly approved in a referendum last year.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#THENETHERLANDS: Dutch Won't Appoint New Ambassador To Turkey, Citing "No Progress" On Diplomatic Rift

[world politics news]

Citing "no progress" on a long-term diplomatic rift, the Dutch government has decided to officially withdraw the Netherlands' Ambassador from Turkey. The Netherlands will not issue permission for a new Turkish ambassador to take up duties in the Netherlands, added the Dutch ministry. The two nations have not exchanged ambassadors since last March, when tensions rose after Turkish government officials were barred from attending rallies in Rotterdam during a Turkish referendum on constitutional amendments to expand the Turkish president's powers.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Gov't Blocks Wikipedia Citing National Security Concerns

[world politics news]

In a move that will surely further alarm civil rights groups, the government of Turkey has blocked online encyclopedia Wikipedia, citing a law allowing it to ban access to websites deemed obscene or a threat to national security.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Gov't Seizure Of Churches Alarms Kurdish Christians

[world politics news]

The Turkish government has seized the historic Armenian Surp Giragos Church, a number of other churches and large swaths of property in the heavily damaged Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, saying it wants to restore the area but alarming residents who fear the government is secretly aiming to drive them out.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Pres. Erdogan Wins Referendum Vastly Expanding His Presidential Powers

[world politics news]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has narrowly won a referendum to expand presidential powers, which could keep him in office until 2029. With over 99% of ballots counted, the "Yes" campaign had won 51.37% and "No" 48.63%. Erdogan supporters argued that replacing the parliamentary system with an executive presidency will modernize the country. Turkey's two main opposition parties said they would challenge the results. The Republican People's Party (CHP) demanded a recount of 60% of votes. They criticized a decision to accept unstamped ballot papers as valid unless proven otherwise.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Pres. Erdogan Says Ties With EU Will Be Reviewed After April Referrendum

[world politics news]

Turkey will review all political and administrative ties with the European Union after an April referendum, including a deal to curb illegal migration, but will maintain economic relations with the bloc, Pres. Tayyip Erdogan said. Ties have been strained after several nations have refused entry to Turkish politicians to campaign at rallies with Turks living in Europe, with Erdogan calling some nations "Fascist" and "Nazi" for restricting officials' attendance at the rallies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#AUSTRIA: Chancellor Calls for EU-Wide Ban On Turkish Officials Campaigning For Referendum

[world politics news]

Turkish politicians should be banned from political campaigning across the European Union, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said Sunday. Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is sending government officials to European nations to campaign for an April 16 referendum that would greatly expand his powers. Kern said the EU should have a collective response, "to prevent such campaign events."

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Fights Break Out In National Assembly Over Plans To Give Erdogan More Powers

[world politics news]

Turkish lawmakers got engaged in physical violence, pushing each other and exchanging blows during a round of voting on Wednesday. The opposition lawmakers accuse the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of breaching the law on secrecy of ballot by displaying their votes. The move highlights the ruling party's pressure on its lawmakers to vote in favor of the amendments, and not independently, the opposition lawmakers said.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: New Constitution Would Eliminate PM, Gives Erdogan Enormous New Powers

[world politics news]

A parliamentary committee has approved a draft constitution that gives Pres. Recep Erdogan enormous new powers and eliminates the position of prime minister.  The amendments, proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party, pave the way to an executive presidency amid fears of one-man rule. The amendments would give the president the authority to dissolve Parliament, rule for fixed five-year terms with no snap elections, and would be able to head a political party, whereas now he nominally isn't allowed to be a member of a party.

[FULL STORY HERE AND HERE]

#TURKEY: Pres. Erdogan May Continue State Of Emergency Beyond January End Date

[world politics news]

Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey‘s state-of-emergency could be extended by an additional three months when the current period expires in January. The emergency laws, which grant his administration sweeping powers, have been in effect since a failed coup attempt by a faction in the military in July. Under the laws, some 75,000 civil servants and members of the security forces have been purged and more than 37,000 arrested. Hundreds of associations and media outlets have been shuttered.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ISRAEL: Turkey Approves Deal Paving The Way To Renewed Relations With Israel

[world politics news]

Turkey's post-coup parliament has ratified a deal with Israel to normalize ties. Israel will pay compensation for a 2010 raid on a Turkish aid flotilla bound for Gaza that resulted in 10 Turkish nationals being killed.

#TURKEY: New Prime Min. - Friend of Pres. Erdogan - Wins Confidence Vote In Parliament

[world politics news]

The government of Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has won a vote of confidence in Turkey's parliament. The confidence vote also granted approval of his legislative programs. A co-founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party, along with President Tayyip Erdogan, Yildirim is known as an "arch-friend" of the president. His appointment will also likely bring the nation one step closer to Erdogan's stated goal of adopting a presidential governing system.

#TURKEY: Parliament To Strip Immunity From Pols After Parliamentary Fist Fights

[world politics news]

Turkey's parliament has pushed through a government-backed bill that will see some politicians stripped of their immunity from prosecution following embarrassing fist fights on the floor of parliament. The bill was passed by a majority of 348 out of 550 parliamentarians.  The initial vote signals support for the bill, which will go to a second, binding vote after a further day of debates.

#RUSSIA: PM Medvedev: Turkish Pols Back ISIS Oil Refineries; Threatens To End Joint Ventures

[world politics news]

Russian prime minister Dmitri Medvedev is accusing Turkish officials of have "a direct financial interest" in the oil trade with the terrorist group Islamic State. He also detailed possible moves to retaliate against Turkey, which downed a Russian warplane on Tuesday, including cuts to joint business ventures.

#TURKEY: Ruling Party Wins Comfortable Majority In Parliament

[world politics news]

The ruling Justice and Development Party has won 316 seats in Sunday's election, a comfortable majority in the 550-seat parliament. The main opposition CHP won 25.2% and the nationalist MHP opposition took 12%. Support for the pro-Kurdish HDP hovered just over the 10% threshold needed to enter parliament.

Pictured: Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.