Turkish opposition party files to have referendum voided
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister on Tuesday called on the opposition to respect the result of a referendum that will give sweeping new powers to the office of the president, but the main opposition party formally requested to have the vote voided.
Sunday’s vote gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “yes” camp a narrow win for constitutional changes that will abolish the office of the prime minister and convert Turkey’s system of government from a parliamentary to a presidential one.
The referendum took place under a state of emergency that was declared following a failed military coup last summer. Turkey’s parliament agreed Tuesday to extend for another three months the emergency powers allowing the government to rule by decree.
Bulent Tezcan, deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, said the party filed a formal request seeking the referendum’s annulment due to voting irregularities. He said the party would use all legal paths to challenge the vote.