Erdogan’s domestic agenda leaves Turkey facing new foreign crises
Ankara is furious as European countries ban rallies by Turkish ministers aimed at getting support of expatriate Turks for Erdogan’s executive presidency.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s antipathy for the West has boiled over again. He is back to hurling furious insults at various European countries — mainly Germany, the principal target of his current fury.
At issue this time is the refusal by local German authorities to allow Turkish ministers to hold political rallies in their districts, which have large Turkish communities, in support of amendments to the Turkish Constitution that would give Erdogan extraordinary powers and make him Turkey’s sole leader.
A referendum on the topic is to be held April 16, and the support of millions of Turks in Europe who are eligible to vote could be crucial.
Ankara is also angry with many other European countries, saying they are soft on political activities on their soil by groups affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and lenient toward asylum-seeking supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic cleric accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
