Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory yesterday in a knife-edge referendum that will grant him sweeping new powers, with unofficial vote counts showing the “Yes” camp leading by 51.4%.
The people of Turkey have made a “historic decision” by backing the constitutional amendments, President Erdogan said in Istanbul hours after he called Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to congratulate him on the referendum result.
“The entire country has triumphed,” Erdogan said, adding that the new system of government would not be implemented immediately, but after elections in 2019.
Earlier, Yildirim declared victory for the “Yes” camp, despite there being no official result.
“The Turkish people have given the final word by saying ‘Yes’,” Yildirim said in Ankara at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). State news agency Anadolu is showing the “Yes” vote ahead by 51.4%, compared to 48.6 for the “no” camp, in the tight race with more than 99% of ballots counted.
Opposition parties, including the main opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), have vowed to challenge the result.
Earlier, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, said the “Yes” camp had emerged victorious.
Bahceli, who backed Erdogan’s bid to expand presidential powers, said: “Our noble people went to the polls with great maturity and agreed with their free will to move to a presidential system,” according to Anadolu.
“This is a very important success,” said Bahceli in Ankara, as he called on opponents to accept that Erdogan’s camp had won.
The MHP was deeply divided over Bahceli’s support for the presidential system.
Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak earlier conceded that the government expected more support in some provinces. “We see in some provinces we did not get expected amount of ‘Yes’ votes. We shall work on this,” Kaynak told journalists in Ankara, adding that “the ratio of ‘No’ is meaningful for us.”
Initial media projections had indicated that the “Yes” camp could win as much as 60% of the vote.
The results are “sufficient” for a victory for the “Yes” campaign,
Kaynak said, adding that the outcome “will be very important for negotiations with the European Union.”
“Our political party wants to win the hearts of all citizens. This is our goal,” said Kaynak, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Erdogan has said that a “Yes” vote would modernise and stabilise the country. Page 18
Emir congratulates
Turkish president
HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held a telephone conversation yesterday evening with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Emir congratulated the Turkish president on the constitutional amendments approved in the historic referendum which was held yesterday to move from the system of parliamentary government to the presidential system, which confirmed the confidence of the Turkish people in its leadership. HH the Emir wished President Erdogan continued success, and the strong relations between Qatar and Turkey further development.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine greet supporters near Tarabya mansion in Istanbul yesterday.
