International election monitors have criticized a Turkish referendum that has brought sweeping new powers to the presidency, saying the campaign was conducted on an “unlevel playing field” and that the vote count was marred by late procedural changes. Observers from the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said in a joint statement on April 17 that the legal framework for the referendum “remained inadequate for the holding of a genuinely democratic referendum.” Turkey’s Central Election Committee (CEC) late on April 16 declared the “yes” camp as the winner with 51.3 percent of votes.
The result of the simple “yes” or “no” vote on 18 constitutional amendments creates a presidential system of government and could allow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to remain in power until 2029.
Tana de Zulueta, the mission chief from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said on April 17 that Turkey’s referendum did not meet international standards.
She said the referendum contravened Turkey’s commitments to the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe “regarding freedom and equality in the campaign.”
Full Article: International Monitors Say Turkey’s Referendum Tainted, Vote Count Marred.
