Opponents of Turkey’s controversial referendum to grant expansive new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have vowed to challenge the result after provisional results indicated the narrowest of victories for the “yes” vote.
After a divisive campaign fought against the backdrop a state of emergency and a widespread crackdown on dissent, Erdogan succeeded in persuading only 51.4% of voters to back his constitutional upheaval.
The three biggest cities in Turkey — Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir — rejected the plans to abolish Turkey’s system of parliamentary democracy and replace it with an executive presidency with sweeping, largely unchecked powers.
As “no” campaigners vented their anger, thousands of jubilant supporters of the ruling AKP party filled the streets of the capital, Ankara, beating drums and singing victory songs in Erdogan’s name.
The results cement a years-long effort by Erdogan to consolidate his position. After serving as prime minister for nearly a decade, he took over as president in 2014 and through force of personality turned a largely ceremonial role into a de facto head of government.
A failed coup last year allowed him to turn up the heat on opposition voices in the run-up to Sunday’s referendum. The “no” campaign said it faced intimidation and threats of violence, and independent monitors say that state media slanted coverage in favor of the president.
The narrowness of the result, coupled with allegations of irregularities, sets the scene for further instability as opposition parties promised to take their challenge to the the courts. Independent election monitors were due to give their preliminary verdict on the vote later Monday.
Erdogan claims victory
“God willing, these results will be the beginning of a new era in our country,” Erdoogan said after his victory was clear on Sunday night.
“No one should have an offended or broken heart,” said his prime minister, Binali Yildirim, whose post would be abolished under Erdogan’s plan.
But the appeals for unity appeared likely to be in vain. Opponents of the referendum result were expected to take to the streets across the country Monday. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) questioned the legitimacy of the result, saying the country’s electoral authority had decided to “change the rules in the middle of the game.”
The High Electoral Board at first said it would not accept ballots that were missing ballot commission stamps, But it announced a changed of course after voting was underway Sunday, saying it would accept unstamped ballots “unless they are proven to have been brought from outside.”
That decision will likely form the basis for any official challenge. Erdal Aksunger of the CHP called for a partial recount of about 37% of the votes. He left the door open to challenging a higher percentage of the ballots.
Authorities said the decision to accept unstamped ballots was legitimate because it was taken before voting began. “We took this decision before one single vote was counted and registered into system. Therefore it is not right to question the decision,” said Supreme Electoral Council President Sadi Guven. “The aim of the decision is to ensure that will of people reflected to the ballot box and to avoid a mistakes done by election committees.”
Official results will be confirmed in about 10 days, after any objections have been considered, Guven said.
‘Profound changes’
Once confirmed, moves could get underway to implement the 18-article reform package put forward by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
They include:
• Abolishing the post of prime minister and replacing it with a powerful executive president with powers to rule by decree.
• Giving the president the power to appoint a cabinet and some senior judges.
• Curbing the power of parliament to scrutinize legislation.
• Resetting term limits for president, meaning Erdogan could serve until 2029 if he wins elections in 2019 and 2024.
Ahmet Kasim Han, an associate professor at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, said the result would “profoundly change the way the country is governed.”
Critics of the proposals say they give overly broad powers to the president, Han said. Supporters of the “Yes” result argue the changes are justified given the “existential threat” on the country’s southern borders with Iraq and Syria, along with last summer’s attempted coup, he added.
Caution from Europe
European bodies reacted with caution. “We are awaiting the assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR International Observation Mission, also with regard to alleged irregularities,” a statement issued by EU President Jean-Claude Juncker and other ranking officials said.
“The constitutional amendments, and especially their practical implementation, will be assessed in light of Turkey’s obligations as a European Union candidate country.”
The Council of Europe, a human rights organization which promotes European values and of which Turkey is a member, said the tight vote meant the country would have to proceed with caution.
“In view of the close result the Turkish leadership should consider the next steps carefully,” said the statement from Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland.
“It is of utmost importance to secure the independence of the judiciary in line with the principle of rule of law enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. The Council of Europe, of which Turkey is a full member, stands ready to support the country in this process,” the statement said.
Joy and despair
As the results came in, thousands of the president’s supporters converged at the Ankara headquarters of the AKP, which Ergodan founded.
Waving flags they shouted, “Tell us to kill, we will kill. Tell us to die, we will die. Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan.”
Aysel Can, a member of the AKP’s women’s branch, said, “For a strong Islamic state, for a strong Middle East, Turkey had to switch to this executive presidency system. This is a message to the world to shut up; Turkey is getting stronger. America has to know this, too. We are the voice, we are the ears, we are everything for the Middle East.”
But there were just as many who were devastated by the result. “I’m sad, I cried all night,” one “no” voter told CNN, who like many preferred not to give their name for fear of retribution. “It’s really sad that had to do this voting, even. In 15 years we saw that radical Islam has come to power and we’ve ended up with (this) dictatorship.”