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Posted (edited)

This is pretty big news:

 

Quote

“It’s a catastrophe for him,” said Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “We now know he is not invincible.”

Turkey’s weakened economy, which had rapidly expanded for years under Mr. Erdogan, was at the top of voters’ concerns, despite Mr. Erdogan’s exhortations that the problems are not of his making. The country tumbled into a recession in March. Unemployment exceeds 10 percent, and up to 30 percent among young people. The Turkish lira lost 28 percent of its value in 2018 and continues to weaken. Inflation has reached 20 percent.


 

Quote

Mr. Erdogan has become increasingly aloof over the years, surrounded in his vast presidential palace by a smaller and smaller circle of aides and ministers.

Yet political analysts were in little doubt that he made the decision to allow the true results for the Istanbul vote to be released Monday morning in order to protect his own electoral legacy.

“Erdogan is not a crazy person, he is intelligent,” Ms. Kocoglu said.

Ms. Aydintasbas said Mr. Erdogan, who has always drawn legitimacy from the ballot box, would have seen it was impossible to alter the result. “There was no real way,” she said. “They did not find a way of doing it without losing legitimacy.”





https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/world/europe/turkey-erdogan-election-loss.html

Edited by Hornius Emeritus
Posted

And the US stopped the deliver of the F-35's. 

This is going to entrench his rural hardliners, which is probably not a good thing for Turkey. I will reach out to some clients from here tomorrow and see what they think. 

Posted
32 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

fuck that cocksucker

Breaking the Lenten fast from here to say motherfucking this. So happy to see the CHP win big. Fuck Erdogan and fuck political Islam. My hero is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and my political philosophy is based on Turkish and French style laicite. Long live Ataturk and secular Turkey. My hero had hijabs ripped off the heads of women to bring his country into modernity. That is your historical legacy Turkey! Reclaim it, send Islam back to the gutter where it belongs.

Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

Breaking the Lenten fast from here to say motherfucking this. So happy to see the CHP win big. Fuck Erdogan and fuck political Islam. My hero is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and my political philosophy is based on Turkish and French style laicite. Long live Ataturk and secular Turkey. My hero had hijabs ripped off the heads of women to bring his country into modernity. That is your historical legacy Turkey! Reclaim it, send Islam back to the gutter where it belongs.

It's funny how your secular political philosophy doesn't seem to extend to America.

Edit: I'd even go so far as to say your condemnation of Islam as a "gutter" religion exposes your extreme lack of « laïcité ».

Edited by bolverk
  • Like 6
Posted

Back to the notion of « laïcité », I'd also like to point out (as someone who actually attended a French public high school) that secularism extends to all religions. For example, just as the hijab cannot be worn in classrooms neither can the cross. Moreover, sporting such religious signifiers in public are generally frowned upon by most citoyens. 

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, bolverk said:

It's funny how your secular political philosophy doesn't seem to extend to America.

Edit: I'd even go so far as to say your condemnation of Islam as a "gutter" religion exposes your extreme lack of « laïcité ».

How so? Separation of church and state is one of my bedrock political philosophies. I have never advocated or supported social conservative positions trying to inject religion into the public sphere here or on shaggy. Separation of church and state is endorsed by Jesus himself and I have seen my ancestral homeland suffer from mullah fascism. Mixing religion and the state taints both and my faith and the faith of others should not impact the public sphere with specific laws catering to misguided social conservative norms. Finally, you do not seem to grasp that laïcité both in France and Turkey was based on strong anticlerical philosophies and both are applicable to all religions - it is just that they attack the dominant religions in each respective country, Catholicism in France and Islam in Turkey. Ataturk is a hero of mine for many reasons, one of which is that he abolished the Caliphate. I celebrate that victory for humanity on every March 3rd with a stiff drink and lots of bacon. Ataturk hated Islam as much as I do.

Edited by Iconoclast Texan
Posted
23 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

How so? Separation of church and state is one of my bedrock political philosophies. I have never advocated or supported social conservative positions trying to inject religion into the public sphere here or on shaggy. Separation of church and state is endorsed by Jesus himself and I have seen my ancestral homeland suffer from mullah fascism. Mixing religion and the state taints both and my faith and the faith of others should not impact the public sphere with specific laws catering to misguided social conservative norms. Finally, you do not seem to grasp that laïcité both in France and Turkey was based on strong anticlerical philosophies and both are applicable to all religions - it is just that they attack the dominant religions in each respective country, Catholicism in France and Islam in Turkey. Ataturk is a hero of mine for many reasons, one of which is that he abolished the Caliphate. I celebrate that victory for humanity on every March 3rd with a stiff drink and lots of bacon. Ataturk hated Islam as much as I do.

Pardon my perception of your support for evangelicals as an endorsement of fundamentalist Christian doctrine to be a bedrock of American political principles.

Posted
35 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

How so? Separation of church and state is one of my bedrock political philosophies. I have never advocated or supported social conservative positions trying to inject religion into the public sphere here or on shaggy. Separation of church and state is endorsed by Jesus himself and I have seen my ancestral homeland suffer from mullah fascism. Mixing religion and the state taints both and my faith and the faith of others should not impact the public sphere with specific laws catering to misguided social conservative norms. Finally, you do not seem to grasp that laïcité both in France and Turkey was based on strong anticlerical philosophies and both are applicable to all religions - it is just that they attack the dominant religions in each respective country, Catholicism in France and Islam in Turkey. Ataturk is a hero of mine for many reasons, one of which is that he abolished the Caliphate. I celebrate that victory for humanity on every March 3rd with a stiff drink and lots of bacon. Ataturk hated Islam as much as I do.

Weren't you giving up CR for lent? It sure as fuck isn't easter yet do you want me to help you out by removing your access?

  • Like 10
  • Fuck You 1
Posted

Man what a fall from grace for Turkey. I lived outside Adana from 93-96 when dad was stationed at Incirlik, including a year off base where we had free roam of the village...I’d ride my bicycle down to ‘the alley’ to haggle at ‘Sony’ to buy a puzzle box, stop at ‘BP2’ to buy a Pilich Durum for lunch with zero problems. It was moderate, friendly and quiet.

Biggest problem then was massive inflation for the lira and the occasional PKK attack on voting locations.

Now, as an adult, I’ve basically given up any hope of ever going back.

Posted
1 hour ago, immamac said:

Weren't you giving up CR for lent? It sure as fuck isn't easter yet do you want me to help you out by removing your access?

Yes I cheated like if I had had a donut on the sly after saying I’d give it up. Sure thing remove my posting privileges from the CR until Easter

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
Posted

How did this happen?

I'm not questioning why public sentiment seems to be turning against Erdogan and his party. I'm questioning what happened to his grip on power.

First this, and then the protests in Hong Kong and Moscow. Maybe the autocrats aren't winning?

  • 5 years later...
Posted

I'm sure the US will condemn these authoritarian tactics posthaste.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpv43dd3vlgo

Quote

Turkey arrests dozens over online posts after Erdogan rival detained


People gather in front of the municipality headquarters in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey
Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets on Wednesday after the mayor of Istanbul's arrest


Article information
Author,Emily Wither
Role,BBC News
Reporting from
Istanbul
20 March 2025, 10:49 GMT
Updated 1 hour ago


Authorities in Turkey have arrested dozens of people for "provocative" social media posts after the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on Wednesday.

Imamoglu was one of 106 people held on charges including corruption and aiding terrorist groups - a move that has sparked protests in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.

A member of the secular Republican People's Party (CHP), Imamoglu is a key rival to President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was set to be named as a presidential candidate for the 2028 elections later this week.

Critics say his arrest is a "coup" and are planning further demonstrations, despite Istanbul's pro-Erdogan governor banning protests for four days.

Interior minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday morning that police had identified 261 "suspect account managers" online who had allegedly posted content "inciting the public to hatred and hostility" and "incitement to commit a crime".

"Thirty-seven suspects were caught and efforts are continuing to catch the other suspects," he said, adding that more than 18.6 million posts appeared online about Wednesday's arrests by 0600 local time (0300 GMT) on Thursday.

A message posted on Imamoglu's X account on Thursday called on Turkey to "stand against this evil as a nation", urging members of the judiciary and of Erdogan's party to fight injustice.

"These events have gone beyond our parties, political ideals. The process is now concerning our people, namely your families," Imamoglu said. "It is time to raise our voices."

The mayor of Istanbul may have spent his first night in detention but the municipality is still controlled by his opposition party.

As commuters boarded trains at metro stations across the city, a recording of one of Imamoglu's public speeches blared out from loudspeakers: "I promise you with my honour that I am going to win this fight."

University students marched on the streets chanting: "We are not scared, we won't be silenced, we will not obey" - a common opposition slogan in Turkey.

However, numbers of protesters are still relatively small for a city with more than 16 million people. For now, they are unlikely to raise political pressure on Erdogan to release Imamoglu.

The office of the detained mayor has called for protesters to gather for a second night in a row outside the municipal hall.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel addressed supporters at one rally on Wednesday night, calling on them to "fill the streets".

The arrests of Imamoglu and others follow a major nationwide crackdown in recent months, targeting opposition politicians, journalists and figures in the entertainment industry.

Some fear more will be brought in for questioning over the coming weeks as part of a campaign of intimidation.

Opposition figures say the arrests are politically motivated. But the justice ministry on Wednesday criticised those who linked Erdogan to the arrests, and insisted on their judicial independence.

Imamoglu won a second term as Istanbul's mayor last year, when his CHP party swept local elections there and in Ankara.

It was the first time since Erdogan came to power that his party was defeated across the country at the ballot box.

The elections were also a personal blow to the president, who grew up in and became mayor of Istanbul on his rise to power.

Erdogan has held office for the past 22 years, as both prime minister and president of Turkey. Due to term limits, he cannot run for office again in 2028 unless he changes the constitution.

The CHP's presidential candidate selection, in which 1.5 million members will vote and Imamoglu is the only person running, is set to take place on Sunday.

The party has also called on citizens to vote in a symbolic election, with plans to place ballot boxes in districts all over Turkey for people to show their support for the detained mayor.

 

Also, 25 year term limits are an interesting choice.

  • Like 1
Posted
28 minutes ago, WBT said:

I'm sure the US will condemn these authoritarian tactics posthaste.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpv43dd3vlgo

 

Also, 25 year term limits are an interesting choice.

Yes, I'm sure this will happen.

I'm old enough to remember...shot 

Quote

Erdoğan guards attacked US Secret Service after protesters in 2017, new documents show

https://thehill.com/policy/international/469705-erdogan-visit-stirs-memories-of-violent-protests/

...and chaser;

Quote

Feds Drop Prosecution Of 7 Turkish Bodyguards Involved In Assault Of Protesters

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/22/596227771/feds-drop-prosecution-of-7-turkish-bodyguards-involved-in-d-c-brawl

Birds of a feather, yada, yada, yada.

 

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