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Campaign
Berlin, Feb. 14, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, on Tuesday said that he was planning to campaign in support of a referendum on constitutional reforms to citizens of his country who live in Germany.
Spokesperson for Yildirim’s ruling Islamic-conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) said that Yildirim was planning a rally scheduled to hold on Saturday at the western German city of Oberhausen.
Turkey is set to hold a referendum on constitutional reforms on April 16, which could vastly empower the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also belongs to the AKP.
Germany is home to about 3 million Turkish immigrants whose links to the country date back to the 1960s and 1970s when Germany drew in labour to help with its post-World War II economic development.
Many Turkish immigrants living in Germany are eligible to vote in April’s referendum.
The AKP is expecting as many as 10,000 participants at Saturday’s event.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has previously warned Turks living in Germany not to import the political tension, after rallies have been held both in favour of Erdogan and against him.
Turkey remains under a strict state-of-emergency, in place after a failed coup attempt by a faction in the military in July.
The opposition supporters said that it could hurt their efforts to rally against the reform package.
Critics said the amendments will weaken checks and balances and the role of parliament and leave too much power concentrated in the office of the president, while damaging the independence of the judiciary.
The government says it will bring stability. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Abdullahi Yusuf