Turkey’s historic referendum under way

If the Yes campaign wins, it would grant president Recep Tayyip Erdogan more power than any Turkish leader since its founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his successor Ismet Inonu.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves a voting booth inside a polling station in Istanbul. Voters in Turkey were casting their ballots in a referendum to approve or reject a set of constitutional refoShow more

ISTANBUL // Voting has ended in Turkey’s historic referendum on whether to approve constitutional changes that would greatly expand the powers of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The result of Sunday’s referendum will determine Turkey’s long-term political future and will likely have lasting effects on its relations with the European Union and the world.

If the “yes” vote prevails, the 18 constitutional changes will replace Turkey’s parliamentary system of government with a presidential one, abolishing the office of the prime minister and granting sweeping executive powers to the president.

Mr Erdogan and his supporters say the “Turkish-style” presidential system would bring stability and prosperity in a country rattled by last year’s coup attempt and a series of devastating attacks by ISIL extremists and Kurdish militants.

Opponents fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule, ensuring that Mr Erdogan, 63, who has been accused of repressing rights and freedoms, could govern until 2029 with few checks and balances.

More than 55.3 million Turks in the country were registered to vote in the referendum, while more than 1.3 million Turkish voters cast their ballots abroad.

The ballots themselves did not include the referendum question – it was assumed to be understood. Voters used an official stamp to select between “yes” and “no”.

Polling stations opened in Diyarbakir and other eastern cities at 7am, while voting in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities got under way an hour later.

Opinion polls, always treated with caution in Turkey, predicted wildly divergent scenarios with analysts saying the outcome remains too close to call despite the clear advantage in resources and airtime enjoyed by the Yes campaign.

As the rival sides held rallies to sway undecided voters up until the very last minute on Saturday, Mr Erdogan confidently predicted the Yes camp had victory in the bag.

But he urged people not to succumb to “lethargy” and go out and vote.

Speaking from Istanbul on Sunday, Emrah Yerlinkaya said he voted Yes “to support” Mr Erdogan. “If we are here today, it is thanks to him. I also voted because I support the constitutional reform.”

If passed, the new presidential system would dispense with the office of prime minister and centralise the entire executive bureaucracy under the president, giving Mr Erdogan the direct power to appoint ministers. The system would come into force after the elections in November 2019.

Mr Erdogan, who became president in 2014 after serving as premier from 2003, could then seek two more five-year mandates.

The referendum could have wider implications for the key Nato member, which for the last half-century has set its sights on joining the European Union.

Mr Erdogan has warned Brussels that in the event of a Yes vote he would sign any bill agreed by parliament to reinstate capital punishment, a move that would automatically end its EU bid.

Western reactions to the referendum outcome will be crucial, after Mr Erdogan accused Turkey’s allies of failing to show sufficient solidarity after the July 15 failed coup.

"The referendum will mark another turning point, or rather crossroads in Turkey's political history," wrote Hurriyet Daily News chief editor Murat Yetkin.

Sinan Ekim and Kemal Kirisci of the Brookings Institution think tank said in a report the changes if agreed “would set in motion the most drastic shake-up of the country’s politics and system of governance in its 94-year-long history”.

* Agence France-Presse