Observers slate Erdogan’s triumph
TURKEY: International election observers delivered a scathing verdict on Turkey’s referendum yesterday, saying the contest was an ‘‘unlevel playing field’’ and that the election committee broke the law with last-minute changes to voting rules.
The blunt assessment by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) drew a furious response from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who told the observers to ‘‘know your place’’.
Following his narrow victory, Erdogan vowed he would forge ahead with plans to reshape Turkey’s constitution despite calls from the main opposition party for the results to be voided because of alleged voting irregularities.
‘‘We will continue down our road,’’ he said. ‘‘This country held the most democratic elections that have ever been seen in any other country in the West.’’
The OSCE team said the referendum ‘‘took place on an unlevel playing field and the two sides of the campaign did not have equal opportunities’’.
Both the observers and the Turkish opposition focused on a decision by Turkey’s high electoral board – made after voting had already started – to count ballots even if they had not been officially stamped.
The decision ‘‘significantly changed the ballot validity criteria, undermining an important safeguard and contradicting the law’’, the OSCE said.
Opposition parties said 1.5 million unstamped ballots had been illegally counted – enough to swing an election that had been decided by about 1.38 million votes.
The OSCE said the No campaign had been starved of coverage by state-run media and faced violence from both police and Yes supporters.
It also criticised Erdogan’s fiery language, saying: ‘‘The campaign rhetoric was tarnished by a number of senior officials equating No supporters with terrorist sympathisers.’’
Turkey’s electoral committee showed no sign of backing away from its decision to certify Erdogan’s Yes camp as the winners. ’’The ballot papers are not fake, there is no reason for doubt,’’ said Sadi Guven, chairman of the electoral board.
Erdogan signalled his defiance of Europe by saying he planned to move forward with plans to reinstate the death penalty in Turkey – a move that would end any lingering hopes of Turkey joining the EU.
He also suggested he might hold a referendum on whether to continue with Turkey’s application to join the EU, which has been stalled for years.
Several hundred young people took to the streets in Istanbul, banging pans to demonstrate against the result, but the mood among the opposition was generally subdued and there was no sign of mass protests forming.
Erdogan’s supporters held large celebrations in Istanbul and Ankara as the results came in.
Both the United States and EU offered muted responses to the result, neither congratulating Erdogan nor calling the vote illegitimate.
The US called on Turkey to ‘‘protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens – regardless of their vote’’.
– Telegraph Group