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Turkish voters approve constitutional amendments
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 12 - 09 - 2010


In a national referendum on Sunday, 58 per cent
of voters in Turkey approved a package of constitutional amendments
that had polarized the country, according to dpa.
The 26 constitutional amendments include reforms designed to
strengthen democracy in Turkey and individuals' rights, and are also
expected to result in far-reaching changes to Turkey'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, a mildly Islamist party that has been in power since
2002, 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.
The EU has expressed its support for the constitutional changes.
But 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.


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