{"id":7237,"date":"2010-09-14T14:16:24","date_gmt":"2010-09-14T18:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=7237"},"modified":"2010-09-15T11:09:23","modified_gmt":"2010-09-15T15:09:23","slug":"what-does-turkeys-yes-vote-mean-for-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/what-does-turkeys-yes-vote-mean-for-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Turkey’s “Yes” Vote Mean for Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Turkey Voted Yes<\/strong>
\nBy Firat Demir
\nFor Syria Comment
\nSept 13, 2010<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

Here is a map <\/a>of the referendum voting. Blue is YES. The voting pattern of the referendum was very close to that of the 2009 elections. The Mediterranean coastal region voted No (though with a very close margin), but the major cities, Istanbul and Ankara, and the rest of the country voted Yes.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Turkey voted “Yes” to more democracy, more human rights, and a more civilian administration, free from the frequent interventions of the once all powerful military. We should now see an accelerated trend toward real and honest democracy in Turkey.<\/p>\n

A new constitution, the first one to be ever written by civilians, not dictators is the first thing to be expected after this day. The Yes vote is also a response to the military coup of September 12, 1980 that marks one of Turkey’s darkest days.<\/p>\n

Despite the fear mongering with the images of Iran after Humayni, Turkish voters decided that they want the army to return to its barracks and not deployed on Turkey’s streets. They want generals and judges off the front pages of the newspapers, where they have been so prominent for a century. Officers and judges have viewed themselves as the guardians of the state rather than of law.<\/p>\n

The Kurds, who have been most discriminated against by this oppressive alliance of the military and judiciary, not surprisingly voted ‘Yes,” despite demands by their own leaders that they boycott the election. In Diyarbakir, the participation rate was around 35% (which shows that the boycott was effective and AKP party will have to reconcile with the Kurdish representatives in the parliament) but 94% of those that voted, voted Yes. In 17 Kurdish cities, the average participation rate was 55%, ranging from a low of 7% in Hakkari to a high of 78% in Bingol, reflecting the confusion among the Kurdish voters. Nevertheless, more than 95% of those who went to the ballot box, despite the boycott decision by the PKK and pro-Kurdish party DTP, voted Yes.<\/p>\n

Key issues in the constitutional changes<\/a><\/p>\n

Some key issues in a package of 26 reforms to the constitution that were included in the referendum voted on in Sunday\u2019s referendum were:<\/p>\n

Military:<\/p>\n