German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schieble has warned of the risk of establishing a dictatorship in Turkey if a "yes" vote prevails in the April 16 referendum on constitutional revision and the strengthening of presidential powers.
Asked during a debate hosted by Der Spiegel about the possibility of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan trying to establish "an authoritarian regime, a dictatorship" in his country, Schieble said:
"Indeed, we can see this draft constitutional review as something like this."
"And when we look at the evolution of (President Erdogan) in recent years, we can certainly find many reasons and analyze what happened, but in reality there are indications of concern," he added.
The German finance minister added that he had spoken to many Turks who had told him they feared retaliation if they publicly criticized Ankara.
"But as one of them told me, 'You know, in the end, Turkey will survive Erdogan,' which offers little hope," Seibel said.
Source: Newsbeast