President Trump called to congratulate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday after a referendum greatly expanding his powers, despite a more circumspect State Department response to Sunday's vote, which global election observers declared unfair.
Trump's call was surprising because it came just hours after his State Department had critically noted the reports of "irregularities on voting day and an uneven playing field during the hard campaign period" and called on the regime there "to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens-regardless of their vote on April 16".
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump's call to Erdogan on Monday was focused primarily on the "shared interests as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally and a partner there". There were global monitors throughout Turkey.
Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen said he was concerned about the developments in the country, which has been in a state of emergency since the failed coup in August 2016.
Opposition parties called for the vote to be annulled because of a series of irregularities, particularly an electoral board decision to accept ballots that did not bear official stamps, as required by Turkish law.
Critics fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule under Erdogan, but supporters say they simply put Turkey in line with France and the United States and are needed for efficient government.
The EU's focus now is to decide the future of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, the official said.
"It is clear that the High Electoral Board is not receiving its power from the people, the law or the constitution but rather from a specific center, a specific political authority", he said.
Erdogan lashed out in response at what he called a "Crusader mentality in the West". There were widespread expectations he would take over the leadership nearly immediately after the vote.
Mental illness shame: Lady Gaga chats to Prince William on FaceTime
William added: "It's OK to have this conversation, it's really important to have this conversation and that you won't be judged". Kensington Palace released a video of William chatting online to singer Lady Gaga about her struggles .
"We believe that everyone should respect the will of the Turkish people", Peskov said.Putin's phone call comes a day after US President Donald Trump also congratulated Erdogan over the referendum result.
Observers from the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the referendum campaign had been conducted on an "unlevel playing field".
The new system would dispense with the prime minister's post and centralise the entire executive bureaucracy under the president, giving Erdogan the direct power to appoint ministers.
"I don't think Erdogan will change the robust and muscular approach to politics that he has adopted so far", said Fadi Hakura of the British thinktank Chatham House.
The referendum approves 18 constitutional amendments to replace Turkey's parliamentary system with a presidential one.
"The tight referendum result shows how deeply divided Turkish society is and that means a big responsibility for the Turkish leadership and for President Erdogan personally".
He said the new system proposed by the AKP has very little checks and balances.
In November, EU Parliament voted to suspend talks on Turkey's bid for EU membership due to a crackdown on political opponents by Erdogan.
Comments