Erdogan death penalty vow likely to be tough sell in Turkey

Immediately after winning Sunday’s referendum, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to reinstate the death penalty, a reform put in place 15 years ago that was seen as fundamental to Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union.

More than 320 of Turkey’s 500 largest industrial companies are based in cities that voted against the constitutional changes, 181 of them in Istanbul.

More than 64 percent of Mersin’s electorate voted “No” in the referendum, a surprise outcome in a city that had voted largely for the ruling AK Party, which was founded by Erdogan, in a November 2015 general election.

Tourist centers such as the city of Antalya, through which some 6 million foreign visitors entered the country last year, also overwhelmingly voted “No”.

Erdogan has said the vote Sunday ended all debate, however, telling European observers who criticized it: “Talk to the hand”.

In the latest referendum, however, Erdogan was only able to get the support of 35 percent of MHP voters, according to Gezici, indicating that the backing he bet among the nationalists may not be there.

Hurriyet columnist Murat Yetkin said Erdogan may have won the referendum, but some big challenges lie ahead.

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