Turkey’s leader given more power
Critics vow to fight the results of the referendum.
ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a historic referendum Sunday that will greatly expand the powers of his office, although opposition parties questioned the outcome and said they would challenge the results.
With 99 percent of the ballots counted, the “yes” vote stood at 51.37 percent, while the “no” vote was 48.63 percent, according to the staterun Anadolu Agency. The head of Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the “yes” victory and said final results will be declared in 11-12 days.
Although the margin fell short of the sweeping victory Erdogan had sought in the landmark referendum, it could nevertheless cement his hold on power in Turkey and is expected to have a huge effect on the country’s long-term political future and its international relations.
T h e 1 8 c o n s t i t u t i o n a l amendments that will come into effect after the next election, scheduled for 2019, will abolish the office of the prime minister and hand sweeping executive powers to the president.
In his first remarks from Istanbul, Erdogan struck a conciliatory tone, thanking all voters no matter how they cast their ballots and calling the referendum a “historic decision.”
“April 16 is the victory of all who said ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ of the whole 80 million, of the whole of Turkey,” Erdogan told reporters in address that was televised live.
But he quickly reverted to a more abrasive style when addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters in Istanbul.
“There are those who are belittling the result. They shouldn’t try, it will be in vain,” he said. “It’s too late now.”
Responding to chants from the crowd to reinstate the death penalty, Erdogan said he would take up the issue with the country’s political leaders, adding that the question could be put to another referendum if the political leaders could not agree.
Opponents had argued the constitutional changes would give too much power to a man who they say has shown increasingly auto - cratic tendencies. Opposition parties complained of a number of irregularities in the voting, and were particularly incensed by an electoral board decision announced Sunday afternoon to accept as valid ballots that did not bear the official stamp.
“The Supreme Electoral Board changed rules midgame, after the ballot envelopes were opened, in a way contrary to laws,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the main opposition People’s Republican Party. Earlier, the party’s vice chairman, Erdal Aksunger, said it would challenge between 37 percent and 60 percent of the ballot boxes and accused Anadolu’s results of being inaccurate.
More than 55 million people in the country were registered to vote, while another 1.3 million Turks cast ballots abroad.