'Germany blocking rallies is anti-democratic'

BERLIN (AA) - A top Turkish ruling party official Friday slammed German authorities on Friday for continued obstruction of Turkish campaign rallies.

“This attitude contradicts the idea of the European Union, democratic values, and universal law,” Mehdi Eker, deputy chair of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, said in the central German city of Hannover, after local authorities revoked permission for his planned rally there, citing security concerns.

Speaking to reporters, Eker said Turkish politicians who want to meet their countrymen in Germany to tell them about the April 16 constitutional referendum in Turkey face obstructions.

He decried decisions to block rallies, saying that such moves present a worrisome picture for the future of Europe.

So far this month German authorities have blocked nearly two dozen planned rallies by Turkish government ministers or politicians who favor constitutional change for a transition to a presidential system.

The moves have drawn Ankara’s ire, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comparing the move to Nazi-era practices.

Nearly 3 million Turkish immigrants live in Germany, and around half are eligible to vote in Turkey’s April 16 referendum on the proposed constitutional change for a transition to a presidential system of governance, among other changes.

Turkish citizens in Germany will cast their votes at nine consulates and four other polling stations between March 27 and April 9.