Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waved flags in the streets while opponents banged pots and pans in protest in their homes, after a narrow referendum victory gave him sweeping powers and laid the nation’s divisions bare.
The referendum will bring the biggest overhaul in Turkish politics since the founding of the modern republic, abolishing the post of prime minister and concentrating power in the hands of the president.
Unofficial results, which the opposition said it would challenge, showed a narrow victory with 51.4 percent of votes cast in favor.
Photo: Reuters
Erdogan, a populist with a background in once-banned Islamist parties, has ruled since 2003 with no real rival.
The changes could keep him in power until 2029 or beyond, making him easily the most important figure in Turkish history since state founder Kemal Ataturk built a modern nation from the ashes of the Ottoman empire after World War I.
In a signal of the direction he now plans for his nation, Erdogan said he would call a referendum to restore the death penalty, ending once and for all Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the EU, the impetus for years of reforms.
Erdogan has long said the changes to the constitution were needed to end the chronic instability that plagued the country.
“For the first time in the history of the Republic, we are changing our ruling system through civil politics,” he said in a victory speech.
However, the narrow referendum result could itself be a sign of more instability to come. The changes won strong backing in conservative rural areas, but were strongly opposed in Istanbul and other cities, as well as in the restive Kurdish southeast.
Thousands of supporters waved flags and blasted horns into the early hours of yesterday in celebration of a man who they say has transformed the quality of life for millions of pious Turks marginalized for decades by the secular elite.
There were scattered protests against the result, but these were more sporadic.
In some affluent, secular neighborhoods, opponents stayed indoors, banging pots and pans, a sign of dissent that became widespread during anti-Erdogan protests in 2013.
The main opposition said the vote was marred by irregularities and it would challenge the result.
“The referendum is won, but it is no victory. The results did not yield a meaningful ‘Yes,’” Abdulkadir Selvi, a pro-government columnist wrote in the Hurriyet newspaper.
The High Electoral Board said late on Sunday the results had shown the “Yes” campaign with 1.25 million more votes than the “No” camp.
The official results are expected within 12 days.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party demanded a recount of up to 60 percent of the votes. It cited a last minute decision by the electoral board to count ballots that had not been stamped by officials as a potential irregularity.
Erdogan said 25 million people had supported the proposal, which will replace Turkey’s parliamentary system with an all-powerful presidency. That was a smaller margin of victory than the decisive result for which he and his ruling AK Party had campaigned.
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