US President Donald Trump has congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his victory in the constitutional referendum in Turkey, informed the Reuters news agency sources close to Erdoğan.
Trump congratulates Turkey’s Erdoğan
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 18, ARTSAKHPRESS: A US State Department representative, however, noted that there had been irregularities during the referendum campaign season and the actual voting, and which had led to the “No” supporters being on an unlevel playing field.
According to preliminary results, the Erdoğan-led “Yes” campaign has won the referendum in Turkey on April 16, by garnering 51.2 percent of the votes.
Eighteen constitutional amendments were put to the vote, and according to which Turkey is to transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government.
Turkish opposition and international analysts stress, however, that with these amendments, Erdoğan is gaining the sole right to govern the country, and that this is perilous for democracy and freedoms in the country.
The president has already announced his plans for reinstating the death penalty in Turkey.
