A man casts his vote at a polling station in Istambul, Turkey, 16 April 2017. Picture by Michael Kappeler/DPA/PA Images. All rights reserved.Turkey’s presidential referendum this past Sunday fundamentally changed the constitution for the first time since the country’s founding in 1923. For months, polls have monitored the fluctuations in popular support for the proposed presidential system and experts have offered a range of perspectives on the referendum's implications.
Although the referendum represents a fundamentally novel articulation of the country’s constitution, unlike many other experts I would argue that this referendum was ultimately, hollow. Instead of articulating a brand-new direction for the country, it simply served to legitimize and solidify the powers that President Erdogan has held since July 2016.
A deep state of intolerance
Erdogan’s repeated articulation of the ambiguous “deep state” and its fundamental threat to Turkey’s self-determination has helped the leader to legitimize crack-downs against the opposition since the Ergenekon investigations in 2007. The case was originally seen by many as a monumental step toward civilian control over the military for a country plagued by a history of military coups. However, this accomplishment was clouded by an unfair trial and circumstantial evidence of a supposed coup plot in 2004.
