Ottoman princess stumps for Erdogan
Support for the constitutional amendment meant to clear Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s path to an executive presidency is weakening in the polls, and the descendant of an Ottoman emperor is helping finesse nostalgia for the empire's glory days.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes no secret of his yearning for the Ottoman Empire that was abolished by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern republic, with the stroke of a pen. Critics say this nostalgia and Erdogan’s seeming unquenchable thirst for power indicate he wants to become a latter-day sultan with all the position’s glory and accoutrements.
His campaign to endow himself with constitutionally enshrined executive authority — many call it one-man rule — is being cheered on by a real Ottoman princess. But Nilhan Osmanoglu’s blessing has had unintended effects, signaling that it won’t all be smooth sailing for Erdogan.
A referendum on the package containing the constitutional amendment that is meant to clear Erdogan’s path to an executive presidency is due to be held in early April. But some recent opinion polls put the no votes, albeit narrowly, ahead of the yes. This may explain why Erdogan has yet to approve the package, which has been sitting on his desk for several days after being rammed through the parliament. There is speculation that he may tweak it in the hopes of winning more support.
At any rate, he already enjoys that of the princess. Osmanoglu, who claims to be a direct descendent of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, declared that she would “naturally” vote yes in a planned referendum on Erdogan’s long coveted superpresidency.
