Chris Trotter: Erdogan lives – and secular Turkey diesALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS/REUTERS Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves to the crowd following a funeral service for a victim of the thwarted coup in Istanbul on July 17. To condemn the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of a Nato ally; or, to endorse the constitutionally sanctioned role of the Turkish military as the secular Turkish Republic's ultimate protectors. As the last, desperate hope of all those Turks who still cling to the legacy of Mustapha Kemal – the father of the modern Turkish state. The actions of the Erdogan regime, both before and after the weekend's abortive coup, make it clear that constitutional government in Turkey has become a fiction. Article 2 of the Turkish constitution states: "The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law".

Source: Stuff July 17, 2016 19:52 UTC