Austrian Chancellor Seeks EU-Wide Ban on Turkish Pre-Referendum Campaigning

Sputnik — Turkey again accused Germany of aiding terrorists last week after authorities in several German cities withdrew permissions for rallies organized by Ankara to win Turkish nationals’ support of constitutional changes that would give more powers to the Turkish president. The rallies ahead of the April referendum on the reform were to be addressed by Turkish justice and economic ministers.

"A common EU effort to end this kind of campaigning would be a sensible thing to do. This way, countries like Germany that have banned such addresses will not be pressured separately by Turkey," Kern told the Welt am Sonntag.

Chancellor Kern said a presidential system in Turkey, which would weaken the parliament, would be counter to European values and further undermine the rule of law in the aspiring EU member state. He proposed ending talks with Ankara on its accession to the bloc.