Bluff got beat.
"Turks vote for constitutional amendments; Approval viewed as boost toward bid to join EU" by Christopher Torchia, Associated Press | September 13, 2010
ISTANBUL — Turks approved sweeping changes to their military-era constitution yesterday, a referendum hailed by the government as a leap toward full democracy in line with its troubled bid to join the European Union....
The referendum amounted to a vote of confidence in the ruling Justice and Development Party ahead of elections next year....
Street clashes marred voting at several polling stations in provinces with large Kurdish populations. A Kurdish party had urged supporters to boycott the ballot, arguing that the proposed changes would not advance the rights of the ethnic minority.
Since Saturday, police nationwide detained 138 people suspected of threatening people into boycotting the vote or casting their ballot in a certain way, Interior Minister Besir Atalay said.
In Ankara, the Turkish capital, President Abdullah Gul appealed for harmony....
Political sparring, however, was unlikely to subside.
Not with you know who in the area and pissed off at you.
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Action Party, a hard-line nationalist group, warned that the changes would weaken the state and embolden Kurdish rebels who seek autonomy.
Then maybe they should get it.
It always amazes me how some people are not worthy of their own nation and others are.
He said Turkey had entered “a dark era filled with critical risks and dangers.’’
Expect some terror attacks soon -- especially with all the noise coming from Turkey lately.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan brushed aside concerns, saying his party now wanted to seek consensus for an entirely new constitution.
The party has already won two terms, delivering a measure of stability following years of coalition rule. In recent years, Turkey’s economy has blossomed. The nation has grown confident on the international stage, seeking a role as mediator and improving ties with Iran and other neighbors while maintaining its alliances in the West....
That never makes certain people happy.
The date evoked Turkey’s traumatic past. Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of a coup that curbed years of political and street chaos but led to widespread arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings, and Kurdish militants launched a rebellion a few years later that continues today. The military’s long shadow over Turkish politics has begun to wane only in the past few years....
Many Kurdish politicians said they would not vote because the amendments do not specifically address discrimination toward the minority, which constitutes up to 20 percent of the population. Kurdish rebels announced a suspension of attacks a month ago, but that unilateral cease-fire is due to expire Sept. 20. Fighting, however, has persisted.
Also see: P.J.A.K. and Plan B
Think that has anything to do with the violence?
--more--"
