The people who are on the side of Hayir(no) at the referendum that will be done in 16.April, came together and did a solidarity march yesterday in Berlin/Neukölln. The crowds, who are against to the dictatorship of a single man, have met in front of the Rathaus building carrying banners and Hayir posters. With a lot of people from Turkey, several German and European left organizations is also observed. The assembly took place at 15:00 and continued with the speeches. After the brochures that were being handed out , the reasons of Hayir and the dangers of single man rule for Turkish society were explained to the attenders. Then hundreds of people started to march through Hermannplatz and did a public statement.
The referendum will be a serious exam of Turkish democracy
In 16.04.2017 a referendum will take place in Turkey. Turkish citizens will say Evet (yes) or Hayir (no) to presidential system. With the presidential system, the principle of separation of powers will be damaged because the president will have all those powers in one hand and will not be able to be controlled by any institution. There is already a rising authoritarianism under Erdogan regime in Turkey and its wondered how will Turkish people react to it. The democracy level of Turkey is already questionable and this will be a turning point of Turkish political structure and democracy.
The referendum is very important for European Union too
The result of the referendum will not only effect Turkish society but also European Union. Because the result of the referendum will affect Turkey’s EU policies, refugee agreement that was made between Turkey and EU, Kurdish question , the level of societal polarization… So the referendum process is being observed by European countries, especially by Germany too.
Where and when can people vote?
Turkish citizens that are living in Berlin and neighboring regions will be able to vote at Turkish Consulate (Heerstr. 21 ,14052). People can vote from 27 March till 09 April between 09:00 – 21:00.
Özcan Candemir
Berlin