Rose Asani

Will Turkey dare to vote ‘No’ in Erdogan’s referendum?

Istanbul

The Istanbul skyline is famous for being punctuated by mosques. Great domes of worship, with minarets reaching towards the heavens. The most famous is the mesmerising Blue Mosque. Built under the reign of Sultan Ahmet I, it was used as a symbol to reassert Ottoman power. Most people gasp in awe at its ornate ceiling, but I’ve always been fascinated by another feature; its minarets. There are six in total and in Turkey that’s unique, or at least it was. A few miles up the milky blue waters of the Bosphorus, another now stands to equal it. On the hills of Camlica on the Asian side, President Erdogan has been building his own symbol, a new mosque. It will be the largest in the country and like the Blue Mosque, it has six minarets. For many it’s another beautiful addition to the skyline. For others, it’s a symbol of a man staking a claim. On Sunday, Turks go to the polls in a referendum which could give Erdogan the destiny he has so long sought. The question is simple: do they want to move from a Parliamentary system to a Presidential one, with the country’s power consolidated in one person. The polls show the issue has divided the country, and despite what I have seen reported in many western outlets, there is a real debate taking place. While the number of ‘Evet’ (Yes) posters on the streets of Istanbul massively outnumber any opposing ones, ‘Hayir’ (No) banners are visible too. I’ve seen vans buzz around the city blaring out a tune reminiscent of an ice-cream truck, to persuade them not to support the changes. But the reality is this movement is much smaller than the government machine behind the ‘Yes’ vote. That machine is also using a series of threatening tactics to push the vote for change.

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