January 27, 2017 Issue

Ankara, Turkey—A police officer blocks a protester from marching to the Turkish parliament building on January 9 while lawmakers inside were debating a controversial proposal to expand the president’s powers. Critics have decried the proposed move, calling it a power grab by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has led the country since 2003. Erdogan says he merely wants to create a more efficient presidential system. A referendum will take place this spring, but already violence has erupted—not only between the police and protesters in the streets but also between lawmakers inside the building.