Europe News

Turkish voters approve constitutional amendments (2nd Roundup)

Sep 12, 2010, 23:29 GMT

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walks to cast his ballot during referandum in Istanbul, Turkey on 12 September 2010. Turkey is voting a constitutional change. EPA/ERHAN SEVENLER

Istanbul - In a national referendum Sunday 58 per cent of voters in Turkey approved a package of constitutional amendments that had polarized the country.

The 26 constitutional amendments include reforms designed to strengthen democracy in Turkey and individuals' rights, and are expected to result in far-reaching changes to the country's powerful judiciary.

The referendum vote was viewed by many as a vote of confidence for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had campaigned heavily in support of its passage.

Pre-referendum polls had predicted that the referendum would pass, but by a smaller margin.

In a speech at AKP headquarters in Istanbul after the results were announced, Erdogan proclaimed that the constitutional changes would strengthen democracy in Turkey and offer a chance for reform.

'September 12 will go down in history as a turning point in Turkish democracy,' Erdogan said. 'Both those voting yes and no have won today, because advancing democracy is for everyone. Every citizen has won tonight.'

The AKP has been in power since 2002 and is gearing up for general elections in 2011. It is thought that Erdogan will view the high level of support for the referendum as a mandate for the AKP's policies.

Some 77.5 per cent of the country's nearly 50 million eligible voters participated in the voting, considered a strong turnout in Turkey and exceeding the turnout in the last referendum in 2007.

But only 33 per cent of voters cast ballots in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's primarily Kurdish south-eastern provinces and a stronghold of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), who boycotted the vote.

The highly contested referendum had sharply divided voters along party lines. The major opposition parties - the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) - had campaigned against the referendum.

Supporters of the reforms believe they will bring Turkey more in line with European Union standards by protecting the rights of women, children and the disabled; establishing an independent ombudsman; permitting membership in more than one labour union; relaxing current restrictions on labour strikes; and giving civil servants the right to collective bargaining, among other things.

US President Barack Obama, who called Erdogan just as the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship final game between the United States and Turkey was getting underway in Istanbul, 'also acknowledged the vibrancy of Turkey's democracy as reflected in the turnout for the referendum,' the White House said in a statement.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle welcomed the success of the referendum and said constitutional reform was critical to Turkey's bid for EU membership.

'This civil society debate - also on the concrete form of the balance of power in the state - is very welcome,' Westerwelle said, adding that this was 'certainly not yet at an end.'

The EU has expressed its support for the constitutional changes.

But EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said Sunday that the impact of reforms on the ground would depend on their actual implementation.

'We encourage the Turkish government to show utmost transparency as well as a spirit of dialogue on the substance of this implementing legislation,' he said. 'Today's vote needs to be followed by other much-needed reforms to address the remaining priorities in the area of fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion.'

Fuele said that 'a new civilian constitution would provide a solid base for a sustained development of democracy in Turkey, in line with European standards and the EU accession criteria.'

Those opposing the reforms say certain amendments will undo the separation of powers, and give the legislative and executive branches of government - and thus the ruling party - too much control over the judiciary.

The reforms call for a restructuring of the country's top court - the Constitutional Court - and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, so as to increase the number of members in both bodies and change the system by which they are appointed.

The amendments will significantly reshape Turkey's constitution, which was ratified in 1982 in the aftermath of a 1980 military coup. Drafted by the military, the constitution has been criticized for protecting state institutions at the expense of individuals' rights and for allowing the military too much influence over politics.

Voters were not able to vote on individual amendments, instead voting in favour of or against the entire package.

In a surprising turn of events on Sunday, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the CHP was unable to vote because of a problem with his registration.

Kilicdaroglu, a resident of Istanbul, reportedly had moved since Turkey's municipal elections in March 2009, but had failed to officially register his new address.

The political leader's inability to vote is seen as an embarrassing gaffe, particularly given the intense campaign he had led against the referendum.

The day also saw scattered incidents of violence and voter intimidation in several south-eastern provinces, according to Turkish media reports.

The date of Sunday's referendum vote was of symbolic importance for Turks, coming exactly 30 years after the military coup. The referendum package also abolishes a constitutional article that had protected the leaders of the coup from being tried in court.