Ankara: Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president has declared a state of emergency for three months following Friday night’s failed army coup. Speaking at the presidential palace in Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that “all the viruses within the armed forces will be cleansed”.
Thousands of people have been arrested or sacked since the failed coup. The emergency allows the president and cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. More than 600 schools have also been closed and thousands of state workers sacked in a crackdown by the president.
The state of emergency gives President Erdogan radically enhanced powers for three months. He and the cabinet will be able to enact laws bypassing parliament; the constitutional court will be unable to challenge them; there could be restrictions on publications and freedom of assembly; and broader powers of arrest.