Erdogan Faces Close Referendum Call as Kurds Hold Key
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Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was once headed for hero status among Turkey’s Kurdish minority. Now, he’ll settle for being the least bad bet.
Erdogan, who won record majorities in his past two parliamentary elections, is seeking support for constitutional amendments in a Sept. 12 referendum. Most polls show the contest is too close to call. The votes of Kurds -- who welcomed Erdogan’s promises of wider rights and an end to a 26-year war against separatist militants, and then criticized him for not delivering -- may swing the result.