After his inauguration as President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledges to unite the country and ensure its security

After his inauguration as President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledges to unite the country and ensure its security

    Tuesday, May 30, 2023   No comments

On Monday, Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for the unification of Nigeria, the day after his inauguration as the new president of the most populous country in Africa, and pledged that ensuring its security would be his “priority.”

The new 71-year-old head of state, in traditional dress, was sworn in during a ceremony held in Abuja in front of a crowd of officials and a number of African heads of state (Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, Benin and Cameroon).

Tinubu, who was elected in February, pledged at the end of a ballot whose results were challenged by the opposition in court, denouncing widespread fraud, to serve Nigerians "without prejudice".

He stressed the need to unite the country of 215 million people, divided between the Muslim-majority north and the Christian-majority south, particularly by "promoting economic exchanges, social cohesion and intercultural dialogue."

He pledged that tackling insecurity would be his "absolute priority", as well as defending "the nation from terrorism and all forms of crime" by strengthening security forces.

The new president has promised to put Africa's largest economy back on track, while the oil-rich country sinks into recession, inflation, exploding debt and poverty.

Tinubu, who was called the “kingmaker” or “the spiritual father,” because of his enormous political influence, organized his election campaign, stressing that it was his “turn” to lead the largest economy on the continent.

However, the rise of the new president, who has huge wealth, was accompanied by many accusations of corruption, without being convicted at all, which he also always denied.

Tinubu will have to focus on the speedy recovery of the country's economy. One of the main challenges for Nigeria, which is rich in oil, is that it exchanges crude, which is estimated at billions of dollars, in exchange for imported fuel (due to poor operation of refineries) that it supplies to its market later.

What happens now that Erdogan is re-elected president of Turkiye?

What happens now that Erdogan is re-elected president of Turkiye?

    Tuesday, May 30, 2023   No comments

Two weeks ago, the American New York Times reported that European leaders would be happy to have an "easier Turkey," referring to the European desire for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to lose in the current presidential elections.

The newspaper pointed out that Westerners, especially the US administration, would like to see Erdogan lose, in favor of opposition figure Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The New York Times said that Turkey, an important and strategic member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has become, under Erdogan's rule, "an increasingly troublesome partner of the European Union."

However, "NATO", according to the newspaper, hopes that the change of Turkish leadership "will lead to an end to the confrontation over the approval of Sweden's membership in the alliance," before the summit scheduled to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, next July.

Within Turkey, the opposition and its candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, whom the Western media called "Turkey's Gandhi," sought to overthrow Erdogan.

And the opposition exploited anti-refugee sentiments to try to win the elections, according to the British "Guardian". Kilicdaroglu tried to win the support of voters, especially the youth, taking advantage of the difficult economic conditions, and promised to restore the parliamentary system, after its improvement, to the country.

Now, after Erdogan announced his victory in the presidential elections in its second round, what will the picture look like, at home and abroad?

Globally:

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace saw that the margin of creative thinking for the West will be limited with Erdogan's victory, as "21 years of experience with the current government has mostly exhausted the West's expectations of a qualitative improvement in relations."

And the Turkish president's victorious exit from this juncture means, according to the foundation, that Erdogan and his "indomitable sense" will reach new highs, which will increase what it called his "fiery behavior."

As for the relations between Ankara, Washington, and the rest of the Western capitals, the foundation said that they would be "devoid of flexibility and subject to circumstantial crises."

The reason behind this lies in the fact that Turkey will be in dire need of foreign financial flows due to the economic hardship the country is witnessing, as the Foundation said, which will prompt Erdogan to manage his country's foreign policy within the constraints of this reality, that is, with "less adventurism and more stability." .

But at the same time, the AKP leader will continue to "see Turkey as a regional power, and a member of a new club of countries," which includes China and Russia, which sees itself as an independent power bloc, according to the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University.

The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) said that the approach of Turkish treatment in foreign policy will continue while Erdogan remains in power, and the strained relations with the European Union will continue, "without any progress towards constructive engagement."

In the eastern Mediterranean, the site saw that tensions with Cyprus and Greece will not recede, but rather may escalate, with Ankara pressing for a two-state solution on the island.

As for Syria, the site expected the Turkish government's attempts, under Erdogan's rule, to continue to normalize its relations with Syria and other countries. This would facilitate the return of some Syrian refugees to their homeland, as the website said, bearing in mind that the issue of asylum is a top concern for Turkish voters.

For its part, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) suggested that the United States and Europe would remain silent, and work to find new ways to work with Erdogan upon his victory.

And while relations are expected to be turbulent with the West, it is seen that they will be more stable with Russia, especially after the participation of Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in an official ceremony marking the start of supplying the Akkuyu nuclear power plant with nuclear fuel, days before the start of the elections. public in Turkey.

During the ceremony, which was held last April, Putin stressed that the station is the most important project for Russia and Turkey, and promised that it would allow the development of joint economic relations and the promotion of coexistence between the two countries.

Under Erdogan, Turkey maintained its relations with Russia, at a time when the West cut it off after Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine. Recently, Ankara played the most prominent role, along with the United Nations, in completing the "grain deal" between Ukraine and Russia, which Erdogan announced its extension two weeks ago.

This deal is an integral part of a set of specific agreements for a period of 3 years, which provide for the lifting of the ban on Russian exports of food and fertilizers, the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to the “SWIFT” system, and the resumption of the supply of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services.

Domestically:

On the domestic front, the head of the Justice and Development Party announced that his economic program for the next stage reveals a return to more traditional policies regarding the "free market" economy.

There is talk that Erdogan's economic program will be very similar to that laid out in the AKP's 2002 electoral platform. In other words, the AKP will return to its "origins" and abandon "heretical economics".

During the past months, the Turkish government has resorted to what is called the "election economy", which permeates it by increasing government spending and reducing collection, by raising the minimum wage, facilitating loans, scheduling debts, and supporting some segments.

The public coalition, led by Erdogan, seeks to increase Turkey's gross domestic product and increase annual growth by 5.5% from 2024 to 2028.

Likewise, the alliance is working to achieve a gross domestic product of $1.5 trillion by the end of 2028, to adopt a policy of developing the defense industries sector and combating terrorism, and to establish the "Istanbul Canal" project.

The Turkish president promised the voters to make Turkey "strong and multi-alliance," and also promised to create 6 million jobs, accusing the West of "trying to overthrow him, after more than two decades in power," in addition to giving tourism a big boost.

However, the opposition is suspicious of Erdogan's promises, especially on the economic issue, and its alliance has made many economic promises. However, the most prominent criticism that reached it is that it does not provide clear mechanisms and policies to achieve its promises.

Faced with this reality, the Turkish interior is vulnerable to a raging political ram between the elected president and his opponents, especially with Kilicdaroglu's statement that he is "sad for Turkey's future", without officially acknowledging the loss.

The issue of the political system that governs the country was raised as one of the main headlines over which electoral competition was intensified. While the opposition was threatening to restore the parliamentary system to rule Turkey in the event of the victory of its candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the "Justice and Development" promised to preserve the presidential system.

According to the election results, Erdogan's assumption of power for another 5 years means the continuation of the presidential system, which provides the president with broad powers, most notably the direct appointment of senior state officials, including ministers, university presidents and judges.

_________

* Adapted from Fatima Karnib's reporting on the Turkish Elections

Instrumentalizing migrants for political purposes in Turkish elections

Instrumentalizing migrants for political purposes in Turkish elections

    Thursday, May 25, 2023   No comments

The pro-Kurdish parties in Turkey announced today, Thursday, the support of the opposition presidential candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in the run-off in the presidential elections next Sunday, without mentioning his name, a day after expressing their anger at his agreement with a far-right party.

Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finished with a comfortable lead in the first round of voting on May 14, despite the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) backing of Kilicdaroglu.

Erdogan was very close to getting the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.

Officials from the HDP and their Green Left allies said they were seeking change in the runoff, and their position remained the same, but they did not mention Kilicdaroglu by name.

Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the HDP, said they will vote on Sunday to end Erdogan's "one-man regime".

She added, "The strange system that Erdogan and his partners established is the cause of the societal problems that we suffer from. What will be voted on on May 28 is the extent to which this strange system can continue or not."

Buldan also criticized the campaign's rhetoric in which immigrants are used for political purposes, and the practices of state-appointed trustees.

"The problem of refugees and migrants can only be solved by fighting for peace against the politics of war," Buldan said.

Turkish elections news, Erdogan: Türkiye and Russia need each other, rejects talks with third candidate

Turkish elections news, Erdogan: Türkiye and Russia need each other, rejects talks with third candidate

    Friday, May 19, 2023   No comments

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to CNN about a number of files, including elections and foreign policy.

The Turkish president said he would work "without a doubt" with US President Joe Biden, or with "anyone who might replace him."

In response to his reminder of his condemnation of the statements of US President Joe Biden, who described him as a "tyrant", during his campaign in the US presidential elections, Erdogan said: "Can someone who goes to the second round, and not the first (in the Turkish presidential elections), be a dictator? ".

He asked, "What kind of dictatorship is this? Given that the People's Alliance enters Parliament with 322 deputies, and the person who presides over it comes to the fore, and is heading to a second round."

Erdogan described his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as "special," and said: "We have no problems in our relationship with Russia at the present time, and we are not at a stage where we impose sanctions on it as the West did. We are not bound by the West's sanctions."

Erdogan criticized the "unbalanced approach of the West with Russia," as he put it, saying: "You need a balanced approach towards a country like Russia, which could have been a much more fortunate approach."

He stressed that "Turkey and Russia need each other in every field."

Regarding Turkey's approval of Sweden's request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, "NATO," Erdogan said that he was "not ready for Sweden to enter NATO."

Regarding the return of Syrian-Turkish relations, he made it clear that he could reconcile with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if they agree on how to deal with the PKK file.

It is worth mentioning that the Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, spoke weeks ago about the possibility of meeting the leaders of Turkey and Syria within the framework of the quadripartite formula, and said in this regard: "We need to make appropriate preparations."

Erdogan said he would not negotiate with Turkish presidential candidate Sinan Ogan.

The Turkish president also expressed his confidence that the people will show the strength of Turkish democracy in the second round of the presidential elections as well.

He said, during the interview: "I believe that my people will show the strong Turkish democracy in the elections that will take place on Sunday (28th of this month) as well. There was a strong participation rate of nearly 90% (in the first round)."

And the Turkish president indicated that "this participation rate is very important, and it is less than its counterpart in the world." As for the Turkish economy, Erdogan said he is committed to his interest rate theory.

Last Sunday, Turkey witnessed presidential and parliamentary elections, and the candidate of the "Audience Alliance" President Erdogan, the candidate of the "Nation Alliance" leader of the Republican People's Party Kamal Kilicdaroglu, and the candidate of the "Ata Alliance" (ancestors) Sinan Ogan competed in the presidential elections.

Turkey's Supreme Electoral Commission officially announced that the second round of the presidential elections would take place on May 28, due to the fact that no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote.

Mauritanian parliamentary and local elections

Mauritanian parliamentary and local elections

    Monday, May 15, 2023   No comments

Counting of votes in the Mauritanian parliamentary and local elections continue; the tabualtion began  on Saturday - after polling stations closed their doors at seven o'clock in the evening (Greenwich Mean Time), and it is expected that the preliminary results of the elections will be announced on Sunday evening.

The Independent National Elections Commission decided to extend voting in a number of centers whose opening was delayed "until the last voter present in the geographical area of the voting center is able to vote," according to a spokesman for the commission, Muhammad Taqi Allah al-Adham, at a press conference from the capital, Nouakchott.

Long lines lined up in front of many polling stations in Nouakchott on Saturday to elect a new parliament and regional and local councils in the first poll since President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani came to power in 2019. Meanwhile, Amadi Ould Sidi El Mokhtar, head of the National Rally for Reform and Development (the largest opposition party), said: In Mauritania) that "significant breaches" were recorded in the first hours of the elections.

The polling stations opened to voters at seven o'clock in the morning local time, as the elections take place with the participation of 25 parties, which is the total number of political parties licensed in the country.

The Independent National Elections Commission announced that the participation rate reached 18% at midday.

For his part, the Mauritanian president said that the government "is insisting on the success of organizing parliamentary and local elections."

On the other hand, the head of the "National Rally for Reform and Development" party said - in a statement after casting his vote - that the opposition "was very concerned about the course of the electoral process, especially with regard to the Independent National Elections Commission, and what we feared has come true today."

Ould Sidi El-Mokhtar pointed out that "during the first two hours of the start of voting, we witnessed many violations. There are centers that did not open their doors two hours after the start of voting, centers that were moved from their places without prior notice, centers that receive incomplete electoral lists, and centers that are not accepted for entry." representatives of the parties.

The Independent National Elections Commission did not comment on the statements of the "National Rally for Reform and Development" party regarding the "violations" and said that "the polling is taking place smoothly and without obstacles."

Rivalry rages in the capital, Nouakchott, between the ruling "Insaf" party and the "National Rally for Reform and Development" (Islamic opposition).

The two parties are looking forward to winning the position of president of the Nouakchott region (mayor of the capital), which is the most important electoral position at the level of the capital.

The ruling "Insaf" party renewed its candidacy for Fatima bint Abdel Malik, who had held the position since the 2018 elections, while the "National Rally for Reform and Development" party pushed the former mayor of Arafat district in Nouakchott and the most prominent party leader, Hassan Ould Mohamed, for this position.

According to figures from the Independent National Elections Commission, the number of candidate lists in constituencies at the parliamentary level has reached 559, which will compete for 167 parliamentary seats.

The number of lists running for the regional elections reached 145 lists competing for 13 regional councils, while the number of lists running for municipalities reached 1,378 lists, competing for 238 local councils.

The total number of voters is two million, 700 thousand and 448 voters.

Last March, the Mauritanian president issued a decree dissolving the "National Assembly" (parliament) in preparation for holding elections, as its sessions have stopped since that date.

Türkiye Elections: Candidate Muharrem Ince withdraws; Erdogan bribes voters with wage increase 3 days before the presidential elections

Türkiye Elections: Candidate Muharrem Ince withdraws; Erdogan bribes voters with wage increase 3 days before the presidential elections

    Thursday, May 11, 2023   No comments

The candidate of the "Balad" party for the Turkish presidency, Muharram Ince, announced his withdrawal from the presidential race, after meeting yesterday evening with some officials in his party to discuss the latest developments in his election campaign.

Three candidates are running in the Turkish presidential elections, after the withdrawal of Ince, namely Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kamal Kilicdaroglu and Sinan Ogan.

Ince, 58, is a politician and former physics teacher, the son of an immigrant from the Greek city of Thessaloniki. He has challenged Erdogan in his speeches in Parliament for 16 years and was the main opposition presidential candidate in 2018.

The Balad Party ran in the Turkish general elections without being involved in any alliance, as Muharrem Ince's candidate for the presidency. And the country party belongs to the "kemalist thought", relative to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and tends to the national right.

The party calls for the rule of law, separation of powers, equality and prosperity, fair distribution of wealth, sustainable economic development, and reaching the level of contemporary civilization.

The party sees it as a third current between the ruling current, represented by the Justice and Development Party, and the traditional opposition represented by the Republican People's Party. Country Party leader Muharrem Ince has vowed to rid Turkey of both the government and the opposition.