Just hours after the predictable passage of today's Turkish referendum, the EU has promptly slammed the outcome, warning it threatens to slide the country's collapse into "authoritarianism" and that Turkey's accession talks with the EU will be suspended if the constitutional package is implement as per today's outcome.
Live feed from Turkey via TRT World:
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As previewed yesterday, on Sunday Turks voted on a referendum on the country's presidential system whose outcome will likely place sweeping new powers in the hands of President Tayyip Erdogan and herald the most radical change to the country's political system in its modern history. The package of 18 amendments would abolish the office of prime minister and give the president the authority to draft the budget, declare a state of emergency and issue decrees overseeing ministries without parliamentary approval.
This Sunday, Turkey will vote in a hotly contested referendum on the presidential
system, whose outcome could place sweeping new powers in the
hands of President Tayyip Erdogan and herald the most radical change to
the country's political system in its modern history.
The package of 18 amendments would abolish the office of prime minister and give the president the authority to draft the budget, declare a state of emergency and issue decrees overseeing ministries without parliamentary approval.
Authored by Burak Bekdil via The Gatestone Institute,
This is the first time that Erdogan is openly challenging a concerted European stand.
Turkey's foreign policy and the rhetoric that presumably went to support it, has, during the past several years, aimed less at achieving foreign policy goals and more at consolidating voters' support for the Ankara government.