Turkey accuses Germany of having ulterior political motives

In April a referendum on whether to increase President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers in an executive presidency is to be brought before the Turkish people. The new system will be similar to that of France and United States. But critics are worried that this might weaken the parliament and pave the way for a one man power base or even a dictatorship. The vote on the referendum will take place on April 16th.

Tensions are already high between Turkey and Germany because the former has detained a German journalist on charges of terrorism. A new conflict has now occurred as local authorities in the small town of Gaggenau in southwestern Germany have cancelled a rally citing insufficient space. Turkish justice minister Bekir Bozdag was slated to take part in the rally and campaign for a “yes” vote for the upcoming referendum. He canceled a meeting with his German counterpart in protest.

Nearly 1.5 million Turkish voters live in Germany. Last year Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also not allowed to address Turkish citizens living in Germany. Turkey’s foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hit back at Germany for the cancellation. “They don’t want Turkish leaders to campaign because they are working for ‘no’ votes,” Cavusoglu said. “They want to prevent (the creation) of a strong Turkey.”

Following the cancellation of the rally, the town of Gaggenau received a bomb threat. An official from the town said that the caller cited the cancellation of the rally as the reason behind the threat. The mayor stated that though they assume a connection between the bomb threat and the rally, there is no evidence yet.

(Reporting by Zainab Asif; Writing by Ananya Dutta; Editing by Mohith Agadi)