FLASH
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Resignation statement is a hoax; banning rivals and constitutional changes reveal the true plan of the 'Sultan' of Ankara
When an authoritarian leader declares that he “does not intend to run again,” the world should become doubly vigilant. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, modern Turkey’s longest-serving autocrat, said on May 23 that he will not seek another presidential term. But history teaches us that when autocrats talk about stepping down, they are usually planning to stay put.
After 22 years in power, with a constitution he has bent as needed and a judiciary that is fearful, Erdogan is closer to a perpetual ruler than a democratic president. From past constitutional changes to arrests of the opposition, he has built a system that has moved Turkey away from the ideal of a secular republic and into the shadow of an authoritarian neo-Ottomanism.
His declaration of “lack of interest” for another term coincides strangely with efforts for a new Constitution, which he calls “civil,” but which aims to undo the restrictions on staying in power. The beautiful words of “reform” hide a thirst for eternity.
The arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and Erdogan's most serious rival, is the clearest proof that he has no intention of leaving with a vote. Faced with this scenario, the democratic world is silent or takes a soft stance, leaving a free path for a leader who no longer obeys either the law or public opinion.
If recent Middle Eastern history has a lesson, it is this: autocrats don't go away with declarations. They only go away when the people no longer believe a word they say./ Pamphlet
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