Turkish envoy blasts UK magazine's 'misguided attempt' to lecture Turkish voters

LONDON (AA) - The Economist's "misguided attempt" to dictate how Turkish voters should vote in elections came as no surprise, Türkiye's ambassador to the UK said on Saturday in a letter to the British magazine.

On its cover last week, The Economist featured images of banners with slogans such as "Erdogan must go" and "Protect democracy," referring to Türkiye’s May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, along with the words: "The Most Important Election of 2023: Türkiye and the Future of Democracy."

In response to this coverage, Turkish Ambassador in London Osman Koray Ertas said: "Türkiye is a democratic country that has a long-standing tradition of holding free and fair elections, where governments have been elected into office by popular vote."

"Trying to belittle and smear the democratic choice of the people, and attempting to lecture them from afar on what they 'should' do comes off as presumptuous to say the least," he added.

He also said The Economist's coverage ignored the many contributions Türkiye has made to global and regional security and welfare over the years.

"My country will continue to be a provider of peace in a volatile region. We deem this a responsibility to our history and people," he concluded.

Last week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized the magazine, accusing it of maliciously intending to interfere in Turkish politics and manipulate the will of the nation.

"We will not allow our domestic politics to be directed or the national will to be swayed by the covers of magazines, which are the operational apparatus of global powers," Erdogan said on Twitter.