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Between Sultan And Ataturk: Erdogan Wins Turkey's Presidential Race

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  • Between Sultan And Ataturk: Erdogan Wins Turkey's Presidential Race

    BETWEEN SULTAN AND ATATURK: ERDOGAN WINS TURKEY'S PRESIDENTIAL RACE

    By Aren Torikian on August 11, 2014

    ANKARA (A.W.)--On Aug. 10, the Republic of Turkey held direct
    presidential elections for the first time in its 91-year history, won
    by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Previously, incumbent Abdullah
    Gul and his ten predecessors had all been elected by Turkey's Grand
    National Assembly. The change to a direct vote came after a push by
    Erdogan, who was also the front-runner coming into the election.

    Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the country's first
    direct presidential election on Aug. 10 (Photo by Nanore Barsoumian,
    The Armenian Weekly)

    Erdogan and his right-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP)
    were running against independent Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Selahattin
    Demirtas of the People's Democratic Party (HDP). A former professor
    and Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
    Ihsanoglu was nominated by Turkey's two largest opposition parties,
    with the idea of drawing some religious voters from Erdogan. Demirtas,
    the Kurdish candidate, sought to unite mostly left-leaning groups
    such as the LGBT community and environmentalists, in addition to
    Kurds. At just 41 years of age, Demirtas is sometimes referred to by
    his supporters as the "Kurdish Obama," especially when compared to
    the 60-year old Erdogan and the 70 year-old Ihsanoglu. Demirtas is
    known for his recognition of the Armenian Genocide, whereas Erdogan
    recently referred to being called "Armenian" as an insult.

    Erdogan, who as Prime Minister oversaw massive economic growth over
    the last 10 years, led opinion polling throughout the campaign, and
    raised eight times more money than the other two candidates combined.

    His campaign is alleged to have abused governmental power, such as
    the distribution of free coal to the residents of Izmir, and the
    comparatively little air time given to Messrs. Ihsanoglu and Demirtas
    on state-run television. On Election Day, Erdogan took just under
    52 percent of the vote, with Ihsanoglu collecting over 38 percent,
    and Demirtas the remaining percentage, just under 10 percent.

    Demirtas predictably led in Kurd-dominated Eastern Turkey, particularly
    in areas along the borders with Iraq and Iran. Ihsanoglu won the vote
    in most Western districts, mostly along the Mediterranean Sea. The AKP
    and Erdogan carried the rest of the country. It is worth noting that
    Demirtas' performance, although garnering only a tenth of the vote,
    was significant. His party trebled its vote percentages in Ankara,
    while doubling it in Istanbul and Izmir, per The Economist.

    The role of the President in Turkey is somewhat symbolic, although
    Erdogan has indicated he wants to strengthen the position, potentially
    extending his ten-year rule of the country as Prime Minister ten
    more years, as President. Erdogan's potential changes could include
    giving the President the constitutional power to appoint ministers
    and dissolve parliament.

    On Aug. 28, Erdogan will give an oath in front of parliament, in
    which, among other things, he promises to abide by Turkey's Kemalist
    principle of secularism, as well as to protect human rights. How he
    will balance the secularism with his own Islamist leanings, not to
    mention his penchant for restricting rights such as freedom of speech,
    remains to be seen. Erdogan seeks to win another 5-year term in 2019,
    which would keep him in power until the centennial of the Turkish
    Republic's founding by Kemal Ataturk, a man to whom Erdogan, despite
    believing in different ideals, seems to aspire. Erdogan's first visit
    after winning election was a stop for prayer at the Eyup Sultan Mosque,
    the traditional coronation venue for Ottoman sultans. Perhaps he sees
    himself somewhere between Ataturk and a sultan.

    http://www.armenianweekly.com/2014/08/11/ataturk-sultan-erdogan-wins-turkeys-presidential-race/

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