Turkey votes to expand president’s powers
Efforts to challenge results will be in vain: Erdogan
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 per cent of the ballots counted, the “yes” vote stood at 51.37 per cent, while the “no” vote was 48.63 per cent, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The head of Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the “yes” victory and said final results will be declared in 11 to 12 days.
Although the margin fell short of the sweeping victory Erdogan had sought, it could nevertheless cement his hold on power and is expected to have a huge effect on the country’s political future.
The 18 constitutional 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.
But he quickly reverted to a more abrasive style when addressing thousands of 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.”
Opposition parties complained of a number of irregularities in the voting, and were incensed by an electoral board decision on Sunday afternoon to accept as valid ballots that did not bear the official stamp. Earlier, the party’s vice chair, Erdal Aksunger, said it would challenge between 37 per cent and 60 per cent of the ballot boxes and accused Anadolu’s results of being inaccurate.
Erdogan and his supporters had argued the “Turkish-style” presidential system would bring stability and prosperity in a country rattled by a failed coup last year and a series of devastating attacks by the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.
But opponents fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule, ensuring that the 63-year-old Erdogan, who has been accused of repressing rights and freedoms, could govern until 2029 with few checks and balances.