Elections and Referendums, Taxes and Travesties

Ever since airlines in the US stopped serving food on flights, flying has become an increasingly unpleasant experience for many of us. Fees upon fees upon more fees, unnavigable websites (we’re looking at you, American Airlines), the doors to the plane shutting even though the gate attendant said you definitely had time to use the restroom, seats that could only possibly be comfortable for individuals under 5 feet tall….We’ve known that flying was miserable even before a passenger was dragged off a plane, given a concussion, and lost a couple of teeth. What is another common occurrence in our everyday lives that is a travesty just waiting for its poster child? Let us know at editor@dailypnut.com. And no, going to the dentist doesn’t count and neither does completing one’s taxes.

Turkey Says ‘Buh Bye’ to Democracy: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did his best Justin Timberlake impersonation and sang “bye bye bye” to democracy. With nearly all of the votes counted, Turkey chose in Sunday’s referendum to grant Erdogan and his ruling party their wish of abolishing the country’s long-standing parliamentary system in exchange for a powerful executive presidency. The proposed changes would merge the roles of the President and the Prime Minister, thus further cementing Erdogan’s already considerable power. Erdogan served as Prime Minister for nearly a decade before taking over as president in 2014.  

The ‘yes’ campaign received 51.4% of the vote while the ‘no’ campaign fell short at 48.6%, revealing deep divisions within the country over how it will be governed. Turnout was high and reported at almost 85%. In an echo of the rural/urban divide that characterized the Brexit vote, Turkey’s three biggest cities–Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir–rejected the referendum.

Sadi Guven, head of the country’s electoral body, pronounced the referendum results valid and rejected the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) charges of voting irregularities, including the use of unstamped ballot papers.The CHP has demanded a recount of 60% of the votes. Opposition supporters took to the streets of Istanbul to bang pots and pans in protest.

Violence Escalates in Kashmir and Jammu: In a scene described as a “defining image” of the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and Jammu, a Kashmiri man was severely beaten and then tied to the front of an Indian military jeep as it patrolled villages. The young man, a shawl weaver named Farooq Ahmad Dar, is shown on video looking dazed and miserable, with his name scrawled on a piece of paper tied to his chest. “Look at the fate of the stone-pelter,” a soldier announces over the loudspeaker.

Mr. Dar was later returned to his family and stated that he has never supported separatists. The young man comes from an area of Kashmir that has historically not been supportive of the insurgency. Mr. Dar, traumatized and unwilling to leave his house because of the incident, said he would no longer express his support for India’s government by participating in elections.

The incident is yet a further aggravation in a conflict that is seen by many experts as a major threat to peace in the region. Authorities in the region on Sunday took the rare step of filing a criminal complaint against the army for the attack on Mr. Dar. General Bipin Rawat, head of the Indian Army, warned that the video of the incident would deepen hostility among Kashmiris toward Indian forces and assured the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir State that the Indian army would take action against the soldiers who tied Mr. Dar to the jeep.

Kanye West’s Easter Song Reflects Syria’s Chaos: 126 people, 68 of them children, were killed as buses carrying evacuees from besieged Syrian towns were bombed. No group has claimed responsibility for the violence, and the Pope condemned the attack in his Easter message. As Kanye West puts it, “we at war with terrorism…but most of all we at war with ourselves. God show me the way because the Devil tryna break me down.” (Please note that without a doubt Kanye West has gone off the deep end (too) many times, but we think these lyrics from “Jesus Walks” encapsulate the carnage taking place in Syria.)

Iranian Presidential Election Gets More Interesting: Moderate president Hassan Rouhani faces an uphill battle to be re-elected as the country’s president after a string of conservative big-wigs threw their hats into the ring. Rouhani’s critics, many of them religious conservatives, have accused him of “humiliating” bowing to “Western demands” because of his negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal. Among the 1636 candidates who filed for candidacy were former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran’s mayor Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and 137 women. Of the latter, none are expected to be allowed to run given that the guardian council, a powerful body of jurists and clerics, vets all the candidates. A limited number of candidates are then allowed to run during a campaign period that starts on April 28 and ends one day before the vote, which is scheduled for May 19. For our American readers who are doing the math, yes that means that Iran’s presidential campaign will last 21 days. Three weeks. Less than a month. Yup. LESS THAN A MONTH.

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