2017 Turkish constitutional referendum

2017 Turkish constitutional referendum

16 April 2017
Vote on 18 proposed amendments to the constitution
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 25,157,463 51.41% No 23,779,141 48.59% Valid votes 48,936,604 98.27% Invalid or blank votes 862,251 1.73% Total votes 49,798,855 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 58,291,898 85.43%
Results by province (Yes in blue)

Turkish constitutional referendum  Sunday, 16 April 2017
Opinion polls
Campaigns
YES EVET NO HAYIR Choices ordered according to colour and layout of ballot paper
Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video

Constitutional history of Turkey
First Ottoman Parliament at the Old Darülfünun building
Constitutional documents
Charter of Alliance Edict of Gülhane Edict of 1856
Constitutions
1876 First Constitutional Era Second Constitutional Era 1921 1924 1961 1982
Referendums
1961 1982 1987 1988 2007 2010 2017
Constitutional Court

A constitutional referendum was held in Turkey on 16 April 2017 on whether to approve 18 proposed amendments to the Turkish constitution that were brought forward by the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). As a result of its approval, the office of Prime Minister was abolished and the existing parliamentary system of government was replaced with an executive presidency and a presidential system.^[1] The number of seats in Parliament was raised from 550 to 600, while, among a series of other proposals, the president was given more control over appointments to the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).^[2][3] The referendum was held under a state of emergency that was declared following the failed military coup attempt in July 2016.

Early results indicated a 51–49% lead for the "Yes" vote. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) allowed non-stamped ballots to be accepted as valid. Some critics of the reform decried this move to be illegal, claiming that as many as 1.5 million ballots were unstamped, and did not recognize the results.^[4] Large-scale protests erupted following the results in order to protest the YSK's decision.^[5] In subsequent reports, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) both criticized unfairness during the campaign and declared the YSK's decision to be illegal.^[6][7]

An executive presidency was a long-standing proposal of the governing AKP and its founder, the current President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In October 2016, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced its co-operation for producing draft proposals with the government, with the combined support of both AKP and MHP MPs being sufficient to put forward the proposals to a referendum following a parliamentary vote in January. Those in favour of a "Yes" vote argued that the changes were necessary for a strong and stable Turkey, arguing that an executive presidency would bring about an end to unstable coalition governments that had dominated Turkish politics since the 1960s up until 2002. The "No" campaign have argued that the proposals would concentrate too much power in the hands of the President, effectively dismantling the separation of powers and taking legislative authority away from Parliament. Three days before the referendum, one of Erdoğan's aides called for a federal system should the "Yes" vote prevail, causing a backlash from the pro-Yes MHP.^[8] Both sides of the campaign have been accused of using divisive and extreme rhetoric, with Erdoğan accusing all "No" voters of being terrorists siding with the plotters of the failed 2016 coup.^[9]

The campaign was marred by allegations of state suppression against "No" campaigners, while the "Yes" campaign was able to make use of state facilities and funding to organize rallies and campaign events.^[10] Leading members of the "No" campaign, which included many high-profile former members of the MHP such as Meral Akşener, Ümit Özdağ, Sinan Oğan, and Yusuf Halaçoğlu were all subject to both violence and campaign restrictions. The "Yes" campaign was faced with campaigning restrictions by several European countries, with the German, Dutch, Danish and Swiss governments all cancelling or requesting the suspension of "Yes" campaign events directed at Turkish voters living abroad. The restrictions caused a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations and caused a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the Netherlands. Concerns were also raised about voting irregularities, with "Yes" voters in Germany being caught attempting to vote more than once and also being found to have been in possession of ballot papers before the overseas voting process had started.^[11][12] European election monitors said the vote did not meet international standards.^[13]