Turkish PM Yildirim says unofficial votes show win for 'Yes' camp

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Opinion polls have shown a narrow lead for a "Yes" vote, which would replace Turkey's parliamentary democracy with an all-powerful presidency and may see Erdogan in office until at least 2029.

Similarly, the main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) has said they could appeal up to 60 percent of the vote.

But the appeasement was short-lived.

"April 16 is the victory of all who said "yes" or 'no, ' of the whole 80 million, of the whole of Turkey", Erdogan told reporters in a live televised address. He said that if the opposition failed to support such a bill, he could hold another referendum on reinstating the death penalty.

"Today is the day when a change, a decision to shift to a truly serious administrative system was made", the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying in a post-referendum speech at Huber Palace in Istanbul Erdogan said 25 million "Yes" votes were cast, with a 1.3-million vote margin of victory, according to unofficial results.

Erdogan has also blasted European countries, accusing authorities in the Netherlands and Germany of being Nazis for refusing to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for Sunday's referendum among expatriate voters.

More than 55 million people in the country were registered to vote and more than 1.3 million Turkish voters cast their ballots overseas.

"Erdogan will now claim legitimacy to the power he has already seized and enjoy the additional perk of appointing government ministers without parliamentary consultation".

"We would like other countries and institutions to show respect to the decision of the nation", Erdogan said. "This result has no losers", Yildirim said.

Asked if the vote was free and democratic, Altmaier said the German government would discuss the result once it was official and election observers would look at whether it was fairly conducted.

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And for that reason, we need to create stability and you the electorate need to vote for this constitutional change that would centralize power in the hands of the president.

They have also demanded a recount claiming that there had been voting irregularities. Supporters of the "no" vote have complained of intimidation, including beatings, detentions and threats.

Limit the president to two five-year terms, but give the option of running for a third term if Parliament truncates the second one by calling for early elections.

Voting began at 7 a.m. but there was no question on the ballot, just an option for "yes" or "no".

Overnight, sporadic protests by disgruntled "No" voters erupted in parts of Istanbul, with demonstrators banging pots and pans to voice their discontent. Since the coup attempt, many civil society organisations and media outlets have been banned and closed, denying the "no" campaign crucial access to nationwide audiences.

The Council of Europe, a human rights organization which promotes European values and of which Turkey is a member, said the tight vote meant the country would have to proceed with caution.

After a divisive campaign fought against the backdrop a state of emergency and a widespread crackdown on dissent, Erdogan succeeded in persuading only 51.4% of voters to back his constitutional upheaval.

The crackdown saw roughly 100,000 people lose their jobs, including judges, lawyers, teachers, journalists, military officers and police. In their place will arise a new style of government that could be called Putinistic, albeit with a distinctly Ottoman flavour.

Turkey has also suffered renewed violence between Kurdish militants and security forces in the country's volatile southeast, as well as a string of bombings, some attributed to the Islamic State group, which is active across the border in Syria.

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