Turks narrowly vote in favour of president’s plan for sweeping constitutional changes, but opposition parties cry foul
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- 5m agoOpposition leader’s protest
- 1h agoTurkish prime minister Binali Yıldırım gives victory speech
- 44m agoPresident Erdoğan: Turkey has made a historic decision
- 2h agoRuling AKP supporters begin celebrations despite lack of clarity on vote
- 2h agoTurkey’s main opposition to challenge referendum result
- 2h agoConfusion over number of votes counted
- 2h agoGerman Justice minister tweets support for incarcerated journalist
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8m ago21:01BBC journalist Selin Girit tweets:
People banging pots and pans in protest of the result vs people chanting Erdogan’s name. Two diverse views. How are they gonna unite?
Not wasting any time, Erdogan says he will now discuss the issue of reinstating the death penalty with the prime minister and the leader of a nationalist opposition party.
The president said he would consider calling a referendum on the issue if necessary.
Updated at 8.57pm BST
Updated at 9.01pm BST
President Erdoğan: Turkey has made a historic decision
In a press conference following his party’s declaration of victory, President Erdoğan said that unofficial results showed around 25m yes votes, 1.3m ahead of no.
In an unusually muted victory speech Erdoğan said foreign powers should respect the referendum’s outcome. He says: “We’ve got a lot to do, we are on this path but it’s time to change gears and go faster.”
Erdoğan claimed support for constitutional change has risen in south-east Turkey and hailed a “profound” jump in support for a presidential system that was unpopular just two years ago. Overseas votes were a “big part” of that success, he added.
He said new executive presidency would likely go into effect after the 2019 election.
He told the country is in an important “civilian change”. He said: “We are carrying out the most important reform in the history of our nation.” The president called the referendum a victory for everyone who voted, whether they voted yes or no.
SOURCE: MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/apr/16/turkey-referendum-recep-tayyip-erdogan-votes-presidential-powers
Categories: Europe, Europe and Australia, European Union, The Muslim Times, Turkey, Turks