In March 2017, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte declared that the Turkish minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was not welcome to campaign among eligible Turkish voters in The Netherlands for a yes vote in the Turkish constitutional referendum, 2017. Earlier, a planned rally in Germany had been cancelled and he spoke from the Hamburg consulate balcony instead.
Why were Netherlands and Germany (home to many Turkish citizens) keen to prevent Çavuşoğlu from campaigning in favour of a yes vote in the Turkish referendum? Arguably, this referendum is a domestic Turkish responsibility, Turkish nationals living abroad have a right to participate in the elections. There was no fuss when Macron campaigned among French voters in London for the French presidential election. Was it because Çavuşoğlu is a minister and Macron is not? Why the controversy?