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Home International News Turkey referendum: Opposition to demand recount of 60% of votes
International News
April 16, 2017

Turkey referendum: Opposition to demand recount of 60% of votes

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The country votes on 18 constitutional changes which would effectively replace its parliamentary system of government.

The country votes on 18 constitutional changes which would effectively replace its parliamentary system of government.

TURKEY’S main opposition party has said it will call for a recount in up to 60 percent of votes as exit polls show the “yes” campaign to grant President Recep Tayyip Erdogan new powers is narrowly ahead.

State-run Anadolu news agency said votes in favour of allowing 18 constitutional changes stood at 51.3% with 98% of ballots counted.

The changes would replace Turkey’s parliamentary system of government with a presidential one and could see Mr Erdogan remain in office until at least 2029.

Presidential sources claimed that Mr Erdogan has said the result of the referendum is clear.

Opinion polls had shown a narrow lead for a “yes” vote before Sunday’s ballot, but the country’s three largest cities – Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir – and the mainly Kurdish southeast looked set to vote “no”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves a voting booth in Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves a voting booth in Istanbul

The referendum has bitterly divided Turkey, and will affect the country’s strained relations with the European Union.

President Erdogan has insisted the changes are needed to amend the current constitution, which was written by generals following a military coup in 1980, to confront security and political challenges in Turkey and avoid fragile coalition governments of the past.

But critics say the move grants sweeping powers to Mr Erdogan following a failed coup last July.

A statement on the High Electoral Board’s website hours before polls closed said it would count ballots that had not been stamped by officials as valid unless they could be proved fraudulent.

A security officer on a roof near a polling station in the Aegean port city of Izmir
A security officer on a roof near a polling station in the Aegean port city of Izmir

That triggered strong criticism from the main opposition People’s Republican Party, which said the decision caused a serious legitimacy problem in the referendum.

Erdal Aksunger, deputy chairman of the party, claimed “illegal acts” had been carried out in favour of the government in the referendum.

After casting his vote in a school near his home in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan said: “God willing I believe our people will decide to open the path to much more rapid development.

“I believe in my people’s democratic common sense.”

Around 55 million people were eligible to vote in the referendum.

Under the proposals, the office of prime minister would be abolished, allowing the president to draft the budget, declare a state of emergency and issue decrees overseeing ministries without parliamentary approval. – news.sky.com