Ozan Kose, AFP | A man shows a voting ballot with the words in Turkish that read, 'evet' (yes) and 'hayir' (no) as people vote in an referendum on April 16, 2017 in Istanbul

Turkish voters are casting their ballots Sunday in a controversial constitutional referendum, which if passed, would grant President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping executive powers by replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential one.

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Amending Turkey’s military-era constitution has long been a political goal for Erdogan, making the referendum a critical test of the Turkish leader’s popularity.

Voters will decide whether to approve 18 amendments to the constitution which would scrap the office of the prime minister, hand all executive power to the president, as well as tremendously increase his powers in the legislative and judicial branches of government.

Civil servants working at the Prime Ministry - traditionally the executive branch in Turkey - do not know if they will have jobs tomorrow. — Has Avrat (@hasavrat) April 16, 2017

A transcontinental nation straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey has been witnessing tectonic shifts in recent years, which were accelerated by a botched July 2016 coup attempt. The country has been under a state of emergency since the coup attempt, and a massive crackdown on the opposition and civil liberties has seen more than 130,000 people suspended or fired from public sector jobs and around 95,000 detained.

Polls opened in eastern Turkey Sunday at 7am local time while those in the more populous west opened an hour later. More than 55 million people in this country of 80 million are registered to vote in 167,000 polls across Turkey.

Lines started forming outside some polling stations in Istanbul before voting began and turnover in this critical vote is expected to be high.

Erdogan cast his vote Sunday morning in the AKP stronghold of Uskudar, on the Asian side of Istanbul, along with his family.

Speaking to reporters at the polling station, the Turkish president said the referendum was “a choice of change and transformation for a new administrative system in the Turkish Republic…God willing, this evening our people will walk to the future by making the expected choice".

A lopsided campaign



Erdogan’s supporters say a strong president is needed to handle the country’s myriad challenges, including terror threats from jihadist and leftist groups, the fallout from the Syrian civil war -- which has seen around 4 million refugees flee to Turkey -- and lowered economic growth.

Critics however argue that the new constitution will condemn Turkey to the elected dictatorship of Erdogan, an Islamist politician who has been in power since he was voted prime minister in 2003.

>> Click here for FRANCE 24’s Webdoc, ‘Turkey: The Great Purge’ <<



In the lead-up to Sunday’s vote, campaigning was very lopsided, with critics noting that the government used state finances and media to aid the “Yes” message while intimidating the “No” camp.

Over the past few weeks, giant posters for an “Evet” – or Yes – vote have dominated the skyline in major Turkish cities, while supporters of a “Hayir” – or No – vote complain of obstruction and intimidation from the opposite camp.

The arrests of senior leaders of the pro-Kurdish opposition HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) also severely curtailed the opposition’s ability to campaign for a “No” vote in the restive, majority Kurdish southeast.

While HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtas is in jail, his wife, Basak, cast her vote in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the de-facto capital of Turkey’s oppressed Kurdish minority. "I hope that the result of this referendum will help our people move on the path of peace, democracy and freedom," she said.

Voting was marred by shooting between two groups in the garden of a school in the Yabanardi village in Diyarbakir province.

Two people were killed and three others were wounded in the fighting whose cause was not immediately clear although some alleged it was triggered by alleged irregularities in the voting.

In Istanbul, a mob attacked prominent opposition columnist Ali Bayramoglu after he cast his vote. A video clip of the scuffle went viral on Twitter.

Journaliste Ali Bayramoglu a été agressé par 20 pers pro-akp dans le bureau de vote. Longtemps pro-Erdogan, il s'était exprimé pour le non. https://t.co/Xg4uZJzb9V — Emre Demir (@emredemirfr) April 16, 2017

All eyes on ‘undecided’ voters

Despite the unequal resources and media coverage, opinion polls have shown a tight race with the “Yes” slightly ahead of the “No” vote.

But FRANCE 24’s Turkey correspondent, Jasper Mortimer, warned against drawing any conclusions over the likely winner or loser based on polling data.

“It’s unwise to take the polls seriously when they predict who is going to win. I think the race is too close to call. But the general trend of the polls is significant…. the polls are saying the undecided voters are between nine to ten percent of the electorate and that’s a lot,” Mortimer told the FRANCE 24 Debate show.

A few leading Turkish pollsters have also warned that recipients have been lying about their intentions in the lead-up to Sunday’s referendum. “The pollsters are saying that voters are very reluctant to give their views – and for good reasons,” said Mortimer. “If voters are lying and they are hiding their views it’s because they are “No” voters and they are scared of declaring themselves to be “No” voters in the prevailing climate of fear in Turkey. That would suggest that the “No” vote can win. When those undecided people actually go and cast their ballots, I think the country could get a big surprise.”

turkey jasper

Final rallies for both sides

Erdogan however has appeared confident of a “Yes” victory on the campaign trail. At a rally in Istanbul on the eve of the referendum, Erdogan maintained that a “Yes” vote would propel Turkey “into the future”.

"Is it a 'yes' for one nation? Is it a 'yes' for one flag? Is it a 'yes' for one homeland? Is it a 'yes' for one state? Yes, yes, yes!" answered Erdogan.

However at a “No” rally in Ankara, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main secular opposition CHP (Republican Peoples' Party) warned that the new constitutional amendments would usher in a dictatorship.

"Turkey is at a junction. We will make our decision tomorrow. Do we want a democratic parliamentary system or do we want a one-man regime?" said Kilicdaroglu.

Fears of foul play during and after the vote

Critics of the ruling AKP have also warned of foul play during and after the voting process.

“People are saying if the government is prepared to break the rules as grossly as they have on the campaign trail, why wouldn’t it use fraud when it comes to counting the votes?” explained Mortimer.

“The opposition parties are trying to ensure that there is no fraud by having representatives in every counting station. But it’s very difficult. For instance, the pro-Kurdish HDP nominated around 150 election monitors in the southeast. But the government refused to allow any of them in.”

However Ozturk Yilmaz, vice-chairman of the CHP, told the FRANCE 24 Debate show that his party was doing its best to monitor the counting process. “We have been dispatching observers to every counting station. We will do our best to be able to watch all the process. Are they enough? We doubt it. But at the end of the day, democracy will prevail. The government is controlling everything: the media, the ballot box, even the election commission is under the authority of govt. But we will do our best to secure the outcome.”

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