Erdogan insists Turkey reforms don't make him a dictator — CNN Exclusive

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel). Supporters of the "Yes" vote celebrate in Istanbul, on Sunday, April 16, 2017. The placards reads in Turkish: "No we will win".

A Monday night statement from the White House said that Trump congratulated Erdogan on his victory and didn't mention the election observers. "Everyone should respect the outcome, especially the main opposition".

There were protests in Istanbul with a few thousand people crowding the anti-Erdogan Besiktas and Kadikoy districts, blowing whistles and chanting "We are shoulder to shoulder against fascism".

The bloc's election monitors have heavily questioned how the vote was run, and some European Union leaders are publicly anxious that the resulting reforms will turn Turkey into an undemocratic state.

The balloting was held under a state of emergency that's been in place since a failed coup last July, and is in the process of being extended for three more months. Conflict with Kurdish militants restarted in 2015 after a ceasefire collapsed. He says it has not negatively affected the public.

Turkey's main opposition party has filed a formal request seeking the referendum to be annulled because of voting irregularities.

"The legal framework. remained inadequate for the holding of a genuinely democratic referendum", the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said.

Asked if he felt United States and Turkey could work together, Erdogan said: "The way President Trump is approaching these matters makes us happy". That's close to the winning margin for "yes", which according to unofficial results received 24.3 million votes, compared to 23.2 million for "no" votes.

Ismail Calisan, an Ankara resident, accepted the result with grace.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the decision undermined important election safeguards.

"Even though I choose "no" and the results came out "yes" I wish the best to our country", he said.

If Turkey were to hold a referendum on bringing back capital punishment it would be a break with European values, the Hollande's office warned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally on April 8.

The constitutional amendments also end the official neutrality of the president, allowing him to lead a political party.

"There is no question of changing the rules in the middle of the game", he said.

The opposition was particularly incensed by a decision by the YSK to allow voting papers without official stamps to be counted, which they said opened the way for fraud.

"Here we have a ballot box... the democracy gets its power from the people".

He said that the death penalty is more than a red line. "This is the reddest of all red lines".

"The way (Erdogan) has closed the door on the opposition, there is likely to be increased political unrest", said Howard Eissenstat, associate professor of Middle East history at St. Lawrence University in upstate NY.

Trump called Turkey's President Erdogan on Monday after the country's narrow referendum victory.

Worldwide election observers and opposition parties have reported numerous voting irregularities during the vote which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won by a narrow margin.

His victory leaves the nation deeply divided and facing increasing tension with former allies overseas, while global monitors and opposition parties have reported numerous voting irregularities. The proposal replaces the country's parliamentary system with a presidential one and abolishes the role of the prime minister.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and it's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights had global observers in Turkey to monitor the referendum.