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BBC: Turkey referendum: Erdogan wins vote to expand presidential powers


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Turkey referendum: Erdogan wins vote to expand presidential powers

  • 16 April 2017
  • From the section Europe
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Media captionPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "Decision made by the Turkish public is a historic moment"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has narrowly won a referendum to expand presidential powers, which could keep him in office until 2029.

With 99.45% of ballots counted, the "Yes" campaign had won 51.37% and "No" 48.63%, and the electoral board called victory for "Yes".

Erdogan supporters say replacing the parliamentary system with an executive presidency will modernise the country.

Turkey's two main opposition parties said they would challenge the results.

The Republican People's Party (CHP) demanded a recount of 60% of votes.

They criticised a decision to accept unstamped ballot papers as valid unless proven otherwise.

Three people were shot dead near a polling station in the south-eastern province of Diyarbakir, reportedly during a dispute over how they were voting.

About 55 million people were eligible to vote across 167,000 polling stations, and turnout was reportedly at least 85%.

The referendum, the BBC's Mark Lowen reports, was effectively one on Mr Erdogan and the Turkey he has moulded in his image: fiercely nationalist and conservative.

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