Referendum Paves Way for New Stage in Turkish Politics

Turkey is set to enter a new phase in its history and politics after the announcement of a referendum's results that saw a number of constitutional changes approved by the people. The majority of voters were in favor of constitutional amendments that give current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party the authority to change the country's parliamentary system to a presidential one. It will be the biggest change in the way the political system is run since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. 
Editor-in-Chief of Turkiye, Ismael Kapan, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that Erdogan succeeded in one of the most influential political battles, something he is used to since he was Mayor of Istanbul back in 1994. He said that preliminary results reflect that the people of Turkey have renewed their faith in Erdogan and his party, giving the latter hope of winning the 2019 parliamentary elections. He added that the people supported Erdogan due to his economic achievements that saw Turkey become the 16th strongest economy in the world. 
Observers also think that the vote reflected the people's trust in the vision of Erdogan for the country's future. The victory, in addition to boosting Justice and Development Party's hopes of winning the 2019 election, will boost the chances of Turkey in joining the European Union. They also noted that the opposition does not look capable of holding onto power in the short-term or the medium term. The opposition's warnings on the threat that Erdogan is undermining democracy in the country has not been well-received from the public.
Analysts agreed that the title of Kasimpasa, the neighborhood in which Erdogan was born, made the difference for the Turkish president in comparison with other politicians besides his political prowess and experience in crisis management and election campaigns, which are all reasons for the success of his plans and for Turkish people to vote for him. 
They noted that Erdogan learned from past lessons and, hence, was always keen on reiterating his commitment along with his party to secularism and to present the party as moderate reformist that aims to establish a reconciliation between Islam and secularism. 
The analysts highlighted that the referendum results indicated that the Turkish people are handling political issues in a different way from secular opposition despite their strong nationalism as they stood by democracy without restrictions. However, the analysts added, the situation was different for the opposition who failed to mobilize people against a wave of change that will transform Turkey to a new regional and international status. 
The Republican People's Party (CHP) who believe that changing to a presidential system is a move towards dictatorship was hardly present in ballot boxes and couldn't get what it wishes for and had to settle for the majority's decision to vote in favor of the amendments. 
The primary results of the referendum showed that 51.4 percent voted in favor, while 48.6 rejected it. 
In Istanbul, 49 percent voted for the amendments, 53 supported them in Ankara, while 32 percent backed them in Izmir. In Adana, 42 percent voted in favor, 62.5 percent in Gaziantep, 73 percent in Konya, 74 percent in Kahramanmaras, 74.4 percent Erzurum, 41 percent in Antalya, 46 percent in Hatay, 32 percent in Diyarbakir, 70.8 percent in Sanl?urfa, 66.5 percent in Trabzon, 69.7 percent in Malatya, 36 percent in Mersin, 63 percent in Samsun, 43 percent in Van, 31 percent in Hakkari, 41 percent in Mardin and 57.9 percent in Sinop. 
The Supreme Election Board said the turnout was 85.46 percent as 49,621,753 people cast their votes in the referendum.

Source: QNA