(AFP) Strong backing for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan among Turks in Germany in last weekend’s historic election has sparked renewed soul-searching about whether Berlin’s attempts to integrate the minority are failing.
There were scenes of jubilation in some German cities after Erdogan extended his two-decade rule in Sunday’s runoff vote, with cars decked out with flags driving through the streets and honking.
Germany — home to the world’s biggest Turkish community overseas — had about 1.5 million registered voters in the polls, and Erdogan received some 67 percent of votes cast.
That is far above the 52 percent share of the vote Turkey’s longest-serving leader garnered at home, where he had to overcome strong competition from secular challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
