Erdo?an now at odds with new Turkish Cypriot President

Only three hours before getting into an exchange of words with new Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Ak?nc?, elected only a day before with a clear 60 percent support, Turkish President Tayyip Erdo?an was at a ceremony at the Constitutional Court.

There, President of the Constitutional Court (AYM) Zühtü Arslan delivered a speech in the presence of Erdo?an, saying it would be wrong to press for a new constitution without a clearly defined separation of powers, in reference to Erdo?an?s earlier words about finding this separation wrong for the sake of a strong execution. Last week, Arslan made another statement saying it was not his court that demanded a constitutional amendment for individual application, in reference to statements from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) government claiming that the AYM was in favor of a new constitution because of this reason.

Last week, the Armenian issue was the main reason of being at odds with a number of allies. Turkey recalled its ambassadors to Vatican and Vienna because of their recognition of the 1915 mass killings as genocide. Erdo?an has strongly criticized a number of countries from Germany to France for the same reason, finding consolation when U.S. President Barack Obama said everything else but the word genocide in English. 

But the judiciary and international relations were not the only areas where Erdo?an toughened his stance, in order to look more powerful in the eyes of the electorate, from whom he wants clear support for a new constitution based on a super-presidency after the June 7 elections.

For example Erdo?an repeated his bitter words against Cansen Ba?aran-Symes, the chairwomen of the Turkish Industrialists Association (TUSIAD), who happened to criticize...