The result of the recent referendum in Turkey is hardly surprising, except in one particular way. The president has effectively shut down most of the opposition media outlets, which certainly helped him. He won in the rural and more religious areas of Turkey, and did less well in the big cities and the Kurdish regions, which is what one would expect.
He made a strong appeal to Turkish nationalism, always a powerful force; and yet his win was rather narrow, which he must find something of a disappointment. However, he is not in the mood to make concessions to those who did not vote for the constitutional changes, and has already signalled his determination to reintroduce the death penalty.
