Turks vote in referendum on power of president

ISTANBUL — In the last day before Turkey’s crucial referendum on whether to expand the president’s power, both “yes” and “no” campaigners addressed flagwaving supporters in Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday.

At stake is the future of Turkey’s political system, with supporters saying the constitutional changes will herald a period of stability and prosperity, and detractors warning the reforms could lead to an autocratic one-man rule by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Opinion polls indicate a tight race. Fierce campaigning took place Saturday up to a 6 p.m. deadline, ahead of today’s vote.

Erdogan has long championed the idea of changing Turkey’s system of government from parliamentary to presidential.

He is calling on his countrymen to vote Sunday to approve 18 constitutional changes that would, among other things, abolish the office of the prime minister, handing all executive power to the president.

“The new constitution will bring stability and trust that is needed for our country to develop and grow,” Erdogan told supporters Saturday in Istanbul. He appealed to voters of other parties to approve the changes so “Turkey can leap into the future.”

Erdogan said the proposed reforms could help counter a series of threats, including a failed military coup last year and a string of deadly bombings, some attributed to the Islamic State group. Fighting also resumed in 2015 between security forces and Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country.

But critics argue that Erdogan, who has been at the helm of Turkish government as prime minister or president since 2003, will simply cement his hold on power with even fewer checks and balances if “yes” wins.

“Turkey is at a junction. Do we want a democratic parliamentary system or do we want a one-man regime?” Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, asked supporters in the capital, Ankara.