Turkey’s premier calls on opposition to respect referendum
Republican People's Party to lodge formal demand to annul results, citing major violations in ballots
Turkey’s prime minister on Tuesday called on the opposition to respect the result of a referendum that will expand the powers of the office of the president.
Turkey’s main opposition party will formally present the Supreme Election Board (YSK) with a demand to annul the result of the referendum, after alleging major violations.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chairman Bulent Tezcan will present the demand on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. local time, the party said in a statement.
In an address to legislators from his ruling party, Binali Yildirim said the people had voted to switch from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
“The nation’s will emerged freely from the ballot box… This work has now finished,” he said. “It’s wrong to say something after the nation has spoken,” he said.”
An unofficial tally carried by the country’s state-run news agency gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “yes” camp a narrow win.
The opposition has been particularly incensed by a last-minute move from the YSK to accept ballot documents in envelopes without an official stamp, as required by Turkish law.
International monitors said the move undermined safeguards against fraud.
The “Yes” camp won Sunday’s referendum with 51.41 percent of the vote but the aftermath has been shadowed by opposition claims of blatant vote-rigging and angry protests in parts of Istanbul.