Erdogan on Referendum Result: 'Historic Decision on Turkey's Governance System'

Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara, Turkey. The edit has since been removed and can not be edited by unregistered users for at least one week.

After claiming victory in a referendum that greatly expands his powers, the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly hinted that the time has come for Turkey to consider reinstating the death penalty.

According to results from Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, the "yes" vote won by 51.2 percent compared to 48.8 percent for the "no" camp with 100 percent of the votes tallied.

The European Commission has called on President Erdogan to respect the closeness of the result and the far-reaching implications of the constitutional amendments.

The referendum has divided Turkey and is likely to affect the country's strained relations with the European Union.

The package of 18 constitutional amendments will eliminate the post of prime minister and give the president the power to name his government, without requiring approval from the parliament.

The three largest cities - Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir - voted against the changes.

"We encourage Turkey to address the Council of Europe's concerns and recommendations, including with regards to the State of Emergency". "There are those who are belittling the result".

The board said it had changed the rules after receiving complaints from voters that they were given voting papers in envelopes without its stamp.

Turkish special force police officers patrol streets after a vehicle bomb exploded near the stadium of football club Besiktas in Istanbul on December 10, 2016. "We expect countries that we accept as our allies to show more sensitivity to our fight against terrorism", he said.

Mr Erdogan spent 11 years as Turkey's Prime Minister before becoming the country's first directly elected president - a supposedly ceremonial role - in August 2014. Erdogan also made clear complaints about the vote process were pointless.

Initial reaction from overseas was cautious.

The referendum campaign was highly divisive and heavily one-sided, with the "yes" side dominating the airwaves and billboards. Supporters of the "no" vote complained of intimidation, including beatings, detentions and threats.

About 55 million people were eligible to vote across 167,000 polling stations, and turnout is said to have been high.

The executive powers with the presidential office will then include assigning ministers, vice presidents and high-level state officials, as well as half the members in the Constitutional Court of Turkey. They set a limit of two five-year terms for presidents and also allow the president to remain at the helm of a political party.

Critics of the proposed changes fear the move would make the president's position too powerful, arguing that it would amount to one-man rule, without the checks and balances of other presidential systems.

Tensions flared between the governments of Turkey and European countries, particularly Germany and the Netherlands, over restrictions on Turkish politicians campaigning for the votes of compatriots who live overseas.

"God willing I believe our people will decide to open the path to much more rapid development", Erdogan said after casting his vote in a school near his home in Istanbul.