Turkey’s Elected Dictator

by Irn Bru Sat Jul 23, 2016 10:03 pm

Alon Ben-Meir - July 20, 2016

Even before the failed military coup, Turkey’s President Erdogan governed like a dictator who had the last word on all state matters. The botched coup was nothing but, as he put it, “a gift from God” to purge what is left of Turkey’s democracy and cleanse the army and judiciary in order to ensure the total subordination of all institutions to his whims.

For Erdogan, being elected was akin to being granted a license to trample and dismantle all democratic tenets to consolidate his powers and promote his Islamic agenda.

As a shrewd and highly skilled politician, Erdogan painted the coup as an assault on democracy, which was supported by a chorus of Western powers, knowing full well that Turkey under Erdogan is anything but a democracy.

His staying power, however, is attributed to his uncanny ability to appeal to the underclass and his success in delivering the “goods” that nearly half of the population was in dire need of, including access to health care, improved infrastructure, job opportunities, and the promotion of Islamic values (in a manner that was unacceptable in the past) with which ordinary Turks could identify.

http://www.alonben-meir.com/article/turkeys-elected-dictator/

There's more to read in the link above.

If this is how it is then bang goes Turkey's attempts to join the EU. And it won't do much to help the country's tourist industry which is already on the ropes anyway.

The future doesn't look too good.