All in all, it was close for Recep Tayyip Erdogan this time – but he can continue to rely on his voters in Germany. That concerns Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir.
After Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory in the run-off election for the presidency in Turkey, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir sharply criticized the voting behavior of Turks in Germany.
He is interested in what’s going on in Germany, where Erdogan’s supporters are celebrating “without having to answer for the consequences of their election,” the Green politician wrote on Twitter. Many people in Turkey have to do this because of poverty and lack of freedom. “You’re right to be angry. We’ll talk about that!” Özdemir himself is of Turkish origin, but says he does not have a Turkish passport.
In the run-off election, a clear majority of those entitled to vote in Germany voted for Erdogan. With around 95 percent of the ballot boxes counted from Germany, the incumbent received 67.4 percent of the votes from this group, according to the state news agency Anadolu.
Celebrations in Berlin, Hamburg and Duisburg
Erdogan again performed significantly better among voters in Germany than overall. In Germany, around 1.5 million Turkish citizens were asked to cast their votes. About 50 percent of them voted.
After the announcement of Erdogan’s victory, his supporters in some German cities celebrated with spontaneous motorcades and marches. Yesterday, cars honking their horns and decorated with Turkish flags drove through the streets in Berlin, Duisburg and Hamburg, among others. According to the police, the celebrations were mostly peaceful. In Mannheim, however, there were arguments. Objects were thrown at police officers, and participants in motorcades clashed with pedestrians. But nobody was injured.
Özdemir: “It’s no longer possible to overlook”
Özdemir continued to write that the motorcades in Germany were not celebrations of harmless supporters of a somewhat authoritarian politician. “They are an unmistakable rejection of our pluralistic democracy and evidence of our failure among them. It’s no longer possible to ignore them.”
He feels sorry for the many, especially young and well-educated people in Turkey who are losing all hope. He fears that ultra-nationalism and fundamentalism will now spread even more strongly in this country thanks to new imams from Ankara.
Yesterday, Erdogan won the runoff election against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. According to the preliminary results of the electoral authority, Erdogan received around 52 percent of the votes, Kilicdaroglu around 48 percent. Voter turnout was 85 percent.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
