PM Binali Yildirim declares victory for ‘Yes’ camp, which is leading with 51.7% in final stages of counting

Votes for constitutional change to hand Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping powers held a narrow lead with almost all ballot boxes opened on Sunday, but the country’s three largest cities and the mainly Kurdish southeast looked set to vote ‘No’.

‘Yes’ votes stood at 51.3% after 98.2% of ballots had been opened for counting, state-run Anadolu news agency said, though a lag between opening and counting them could see the lead tighten further in the final stages.

Erdogan delcares victory

Mr. Erdogan called Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and the leader of the nationalist MHP party, which supported the ‘Yes’ vote, to congratulate them, presidential sources said. They quoted Mr. Erdogan as saying the referendum result was clear.

Mr. Yildirim also declared victory for the ‘Yes’ camp, saying the country had opened a “new page” in its democracy. “The presidential system, according to unofficial results, has been confirmed with a ‘Yes’ vote,” he told supporters from the balcony of the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara. “This is a decision made by the people. In our democracy's history, a new page has opened.”

A ‘Yes’ vote would replace Turkey’s parliamentary democracy with an all-powerful presidency and may see Mr. Erdogan in office until at least 2029, in the most radical change to the country's political system in its modern history.

The outcome will also shape Turkey’s strained relations with the European Union. The NATO member state has curbed the flow of migrants - mainly refugees from wars in Syria and Iraq - into the bloc but Erdogan says he may review the deal after the vote.

In Turkey’s three biggest cities — Istanbul, Izmir and the capital Ankara — the ‘No’ camp appeared set to prevail narrowly, according to Turkish television stations.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said that the ‘Yes’ camp had not won as many votes as expected, but was still ahead nationwide.

Earlier in the day a crowd chanted “Recep Tayyip Erdogan” and applauded as the president shook hands and greeted people after voting in a school near his home in Istanbul. His staff handed out toys for children in the crowd.

“God willing I believe our people will decide to open the path to much more rapid development,” Mr. Erdogan said in the polling station after casting his vote. “I believe in my people’s democratic common sense.”

The ‘Yes’ share of the vote — which stood at 63% after around one quarter had been opened — eased as the count moved further west towards Istanbul and the Aegean coast. Broadcaster Haberturk said turnout was 86%.

Divisive vote

The referendum has bitterly divided the nation. Mr. Erdogan and his supporters say the changes are needed to amend the current constitution, written by generals following a 1980 military coup, confront the security and political challenges Turkey faces, and avoid the fragile coalition governments of the past. “This is our opportunity to take back control of our country,” said self-employed Bayram Seker, 42, after voting ‘Yes’ in Istanbul.

“I don’t think one-man rule is such a scary thing. Turkey has been ruled in the past by one man,” he said, referring to modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Rise of authoritarianism

Opponents say it is a step towards greater authoritarianism in a country where some 47,000 people have been jailed pending trial and 120,000 sacked or suspended from their jobs in a crackdown following a failed coup last July, drawing criticism from Turkey's Western allies and rights groups.

“I voted ‘No’ because I don’t want this whole country and its legislative, executive and judiciary ruled by one man. This would not make Turkey stronger or better as they claim. This would weaken our democracy,” said Hamit Yaz, 34, a ship's captain, after voting in Istanbul.

Relations between Turkey and Europe hit a low during the referendum campaign when EU countries barred Turkish ministers from holding rallies in support of the changes.