In homes lining the route of the protest, people bashed pots and pans with kitchen utensils from the windows of their apartments to show solidarity.
Its deputy head said the result should be annulled altogether. But the narrowness of his victory could have the opposite effect: adding to volatility in a country that has lately survived an attempted coup, attacks by Islamists, a Kurdish insurgency, civil unrest and war across its Syrian border.
But there were just as many who were devastated by the result.
In Ankara, thousands of revelers honked their horns and waved Turkish flags along with white flags reading, "Evet" - Turkish for yes - at the headquarters of the political party founded by Erdogan.
"Political discussions about that need to take place as quickly as possible, both at the bilateral level and between the European institutions and Turkey", Merkel and Gabriel said.
"The impact of this referendum in terms of Turkey's democratic credentials on the world stage is unfortunately negative", said Marc Pierini, an expert with the Carnegie Europe think tank.
"[The] referendum took place on an unlevel playing field and the two sides of the campaign did not have equal opportunities", the OSCE said in a statement. "Our monitoring showed the "Yes" campaign dominated the media coverage and this, along with restrictions on the media, the arrests of journalists and the closure of media outlets, reduced voters' access to a plurality of views".
"There are no losers in this referendum, the victor is Turkey, the victor is the dear people", Yildirim told supporters. "The legal framework. remained inadequate for the holding of a genuinely democratic referendum", the delegations said in a a joint statement.
While the monitors had no information of actual fraud, a last-minute decision by electoral authorities to allow unstamped ballots to be counted undermined an important safeguard and contradicted electoral law, they said.
Turkey's foreign ministry dismissed the observers' criticism as lacking objectivity and impartiality.
Turkey's three biggest cities -Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir- voted No. Final results will be announced in 11 to 12 days, it said.
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Germany called on the Turkish government to engage in a "respectful dialogue with all political and civilian forces of the country" after "the narrow outcome of the referendum showed how deeply Turkish society is divided".
He vowed Turkey's recent incursion into northern Syria would not be its last such venture in the region, saying it would carry out as many military operations as necessary, wherever necessary, in its fight against terrorism.
Opponents fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule, ensuring that 63-year-old Mr Erdogan, who has been accused of repressing rights and freedoms, could govern until 2029 with few checks and balances.
She recounted story after story of threats and bureaucratic obstacles that were thrown in the HDP's path: "police who would cut down "Hayir" banners as soon as they were put up ('hayir" means "no" in Turkish), requests to mount rallies that were denied by AK Party-aligned local authorities, citing the emergency law and security concerns.
Turkey's main opposition party quickly contested the result of the vote, claiming that up to 2.5 million ballots were invalid and that some election monitors had been removed from polling stations.
"This is why the only decision that will end debate about the legitimacy (of the vote) and ease the people's legal concerns is the annulment of this election by the YSK", Tezcan said.
Erdogan on Sunday won support from 51.4 per cent of Turks for a package of constitutional changes that increase the powers of his office, and his supporters are demanding he use the result to bring back the death penalty. The new changes may help feed a new authoritarian regime in Turkey that gives exceptional power to the Turkish president.
"Wait!" Erdogan told supporters outside the presidential palace in Ankara, referring to Turkey's long-standing membership bid.
Numerous votes are coming from the Turks residing overseas in Germany, reportedly at 1.6 million.
Edogan became president in 2014 after serving as prime minister for more than a decade. In late 2016, Israel's ambassador returned to Turkey after five years' absence, and it appears the two countries that once enjoyed close relations now have a more pragmatic understanding. Erdogan provoked a stern German response by comparing those limits on campaigning to the actions of the Nazis.
Most of the changes won't take effect until after the next presidential and parliamentary elections, slated for November 3, 2019.
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