Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s spokesperson has slammed a US congressman who urged on social media no congratulations for Erdoğan’s June 24 election win, the Hürriyet Daily News reported.
“President Erdoğan certainly does not need YOUR @RepAdamSchiff congratulations. Turkish people have spoken up. You need to shut up,” İbrahim Kalın tweeted on Tuesday.
He was responding to a tweet from Democratic Congressman from California Adam Schiff that said: “Erdogan ‘won’ reelection in Turkey this weekend only by decimating the opposition through arrests, violence and squashing freedom of the press. Turkey’s descent into autocracy is another reminder that democracy is under assault worldwide. DO NOT CONGRATULATE.”
Erdoğan won the election on June 24, becoming the first president under a new executive presidential system of governance that was narrowly passed in a referendum last year.