Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory Sunday evening in a crucial referendum that would hand his office broad new powers in what would amount to the most sweeping reform of the country’s modern politics. Members of the opposition, however, said the vote was marred by irregularities and vowed to challenge the result. With 99 percent of the vote counted, 51.37 percent voted in favor of the constitutional amendments, while the “no” vote stood at 48.63 percent, according to an unofficial count.
Although the results mean Erdogan didn’t quite get the sweeping victory he was hoping for, it is still enough to hand his office more power and change the future of Turkey. The 18 constitutional amendments that were put to vote Sunday would come into effect after the next election and will get rid of the office of prime minister and hand new powers to the president. Even though the changes to the constitution would only take effect after the 2019 election, the “ramifications” would be immediate. The New York Times explains:
The “yes” vote in the referendum would be a validation of the current leadership style of Mr. Erdogan, who has been acting as a de facto head of government since his election in 2014 despite having no constitutional right to wield such power. The office of the president was meant to be an impartial role that lacks full executive authority.
The result would tighten Mr. Erdogan’s grip on the country, which is one of the leading external actors in the Syrian civil war, a major way station along the migration routes to Europe and a crucial Middle Eastern partner of the United States and Russia.
Erdogan seemed to suggest that the results of the referendum would mean immediate changes in what was an “unusually muted” victory speech. “We’ve got a lot to do, we are on this path but it’s time to change gears and go faster,” he said. “We are carrying out the most important reform in the history of our nation.” Erdogan also made clear complaints about the vote process were pointless. “There are those who are belittling the result. They shouldn’t try, it will be in vain,” he said. “It’s too late now.”
Disputes over the result of the referendum could descend into violence, some analysts warn. “Turkey has shown itself more polarized than ever tonight. And if the protests gather steam, this could get ugly,” warns the BBC’s Mark Lowen.
