Turkey is heading to a con.
On Sunday, more than 55 million Turkish citizens will participate in a referendum on the constitutional amendments proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is heading to a contentious April 16 referendum. Over the past several months, the president has purged more than 100,000 public officials, including judges, prosecutors, police officers, civil servants, teachers and university rectors, accusing them of being aligned with Fethullah Gulen, a preacher who was once his ally but whom he now accuses of masterminding the July coup attempt. "We are putting 80 million on a bus with no brakes".
Even so, if Turkey's politicians over the decades have often chose to play zero-sum games domestically where compromise is not an option, the Turkish public has nearly always voted in favour of moderation. The ballot papers have been transferred to Turkey for counting on Sunday. "People believe no matter whether they vote "yes" or "no", that "yes" will win".
Polls open at 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) and close at 4:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) Sunday in 32 eastern provinces, and open and close an hour later in the rest of the country.
If the new system is passed, it will abolish the office of prime minister, enabling the president to centralise all state bureaucracy under his control and also to appoint cabinet ministers. Every major political party is also allowed to install its own observers at all polling booths. Under the state of emergency, the president has authority over military appointments.
A rejection of the referendum, on the other hand, could spark a selloff because it will pave the way for Erdogan to seek early elections to try to secure a more sympathetic parliament and push through the executive presidency that way. The ruling party argues however that the reforms, which require courts to be "impartial" - and not just "independent" - will strengthen the judiciary.
J&K: 20 injured in clash between protesters, security forces; firing reported
The students apprehended that the police had come to arrest their colleagues and resisted the entrance of cops into the college. Dr Abdul Rashid Parra, Medical Superintendent of Pulwama hospital, said that 54 injured students were treated at the hospital.
Under the new system, the president would no longer have that limit. Upon becoming prime minister in 2003, Erdogan managed to place civilian oversight over military expenditures and gutted the generals' hold on the National Security Council. "The fact that a number of political leaders and activists remain behind bars has seriously curtailed some groups' ability to campaign", it added.
The two had a falling out that year widely seen as a catalyst for a crackdown that's since made Turkey the world's largest jailer of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders.
"But this government system is not responding to current needs", Erdogan said. Founded in 1923, the Turkish republic did not hold its first multiparty elections until 1946.
How it runs itself, either as a parliamentary democracy or an executive presidency, will have clear ramifications for internal policy and its interaction with other countries. The age of candidacy for a parliamentary seat would be lowered from 25 to 18.
The opposition has complained of a lopsided campaign, with Erdogan using the full resources of the state and the governing party to dominate the airwaves and blanket the country with "yes" campaign posters. Turkey remains under a state of emergency declared last July, following a failed coup that left almost 300 people dead. An emergency rule decree has removed the Supreme Electoral Board's powers to fine media who do not provide impartial coverage. Until recently, the president was an appointed position serving as head of state, not head of government - similar to the queen of England.
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