2010 Turkish constitutional referendum














Turkish constitutional referendum, 2010
Constitutional referendum for 26 articles of the constitution.
Date 12 September 2010








































Results

Votes
%

Yes

21,789,180

7001578800000000000♠57.88%

No
15,854,113

7001421209999900000♠42.12%
Valid votes
37,643,293

7001981100000000000♠98.11%
Invalid or blank votes
725,961

7000189000000000000♠1.89%

Total votes

38,369,254

100.00%
Registered voters/turnout

73.71%






Results by province

Turkish constitutional referendum 2010.svg



  Yes     No


Source: Turkish Supreme Election Board (YSK) [1]

A constitutional referendum on a number of changes to the constitution was held in Turkey on 12 September 2010. The results showed the majority supported the constitutional amendments, with 58% in favour and 42% against.[1][2] The changes were aimed at bringing the constitution into compliance with European Union standards. Supporters of Turkish EU membership hope constitutional reform will facilitate the membership process.[3]


The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) declared that they would boycott the vote, because it is not mentioned in the constitution that Kurds exist in Turkey.




Contents






  • 1 Background


  • 2 Changes by theme


    • 2.1 Coup leaders and military personnel


    • 2.2 Economic and social rights


    • 2.3 Individual freedoms


    • 2.4 Judicial reforms




  • 3 Changes by article


  • 4 Voting in parliament


  • 5 Annulment of the package


  • 6 Polls


  • 7 Results


    • 7.1 Results by province


    • 7.2 Voting irregularities




  • 8 Reactions


    • 8.1 Domestic


    • 8.2 International




  • 9 Aftermath


  • 10 References


  • 11 External links





Background






























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This article is part of a series on the
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After the military coup of 12 September 1980, a new constitution was drafted, designed by the military junta that came to power. Thirty years later, a referendum was held regarding a number of amendments to that constitution.


In 2010, the Turkish parliament adopted a series of constitutional amendments. The amendments did not achieve the required two-thirds majority (67%) for immediately implementing the changes. However, a majority of 330 votes (60%) was achieved and sufficient to present the amendments to the electorate in a referendum. A constitutional change, to make it more difficult for the Supreme Court to dissolve parties, failed to pass.[4]


The reform package was accepted by parliament on 7 May, initiating the referendum process. The referendum was expected to be held 60 days after the publication of the package in the Official Gazette, but the Supreme Election Board (YSK) announced that it would be held 120 days later, on 12 September.[4]



Changes by theme



Coup leaders and military personnel


Provisional Article 15 of the Constitution, which provided protection to coup leaders, will be abolished. The amendments will allow the leaders of the 1980 coup to be sent to court.[5] Military officers who commit crimes against the state, such as preparing coup plans, will be tried in civilian courts.[2] Military personnel who are dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces will have the right to appeal to the judiciary, the right to legal remedies and the right of defense.[2]


Personal information such as names, photographs and ID information will be kept private. This kind of information will be stored only if the individual agrees to it, and individuals believing their personal information is being misused will be able to hold relevant entities accountable.[6]



Economic and social rights


Businesspeople with tax debts will be able to travel abroad. Businesspeople facing an investigation or prosecution are prohibited from traveling abroad under current regulations. In the amendments, businesspeople will be able to travel abroad provided there is no court order restricting their travel.[7]


Right to collective bargaining for government employees. While government employees will be granted the right to collective bargaining, the Public Employees' Arbitration Board consisting of government employee representatives will have the final say. The same right will be granted to the retired. Government employees who believe they have been punished unfairly will be able to go to court.[7]


Restrictions on the right to strike will be removed. Restrictions on politically motivated strikes and lockouts will be removed to advance workers' rights.[8] Labor unions will not be held liable for material damage to a workplace where a strike is being held as a result of deliberately negligent behavior by the workers and by the labor union.[7]


The Economic and Social Council (ESK), which comprises representatives from unions, associations and confederations, will be given constitutional protection. The council will be effective in determining economic policies[citation needed] and the government's involvement in council activities will be removed.



Individual freedoms


Problems between the state and citizens will be resolved by way of an ombudsman without having to go to court. If citizens are not satisfied with judicial decisions, they will be able to directly petition the Constitutional Court.


Measures enacted to ensure equal rights for men and women will not be interpreted as contrary to the principle of equality,[9] nor those enacted to protect children, elderly people, disabled people, widows and orphans of martyrs as well as for invalid and veterans.[9][10]


Since the structure of the Constitutional Court will change, closing down parties will not be as easy as it used to be. Deputies will not be banned from politics if their party is closed down, but will keep their seats for the normal term.[2]


Government workers, who until now could only be a member of one labor union, will now have a choice.[10] Additionally, warnings and reprimands given to government employees will be open to judicial review. Government employees who believe they have been punished unfairly will be able to make claims in court.[7]



Judicial reforms


Parliament will choose some of the members of the Constitutional Court. The number of Constitutional Court members will be expanded.[5] Parliament will appoint three members while the president will appoint 14 members. The Constitutional Court will obtain a more democratic structure, consisting of two parts and functioning as a general assembly.


The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) will increase in number from 7 to 22. Members will no longer be elected only by the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Council of State.[5] A total of 11 judges from around 13,000 judges will be appointed to the board to represent judges on the bench.


Dismissed judges will be able to appeal to the judiciary. The HSYK's decisions, like YAŞ decisions, will be open to judicial review. Prosecutors and judges dismissed by the board will be able to challenge dismissal decisions in court.[citation needed]


All citizens will be able to file a petition with the Constitutional Court.[10] This is now only possible at the European Court of Human Rights.[7]


Besides the President, the ministers and other senior government officials, the chairman of the parliament and the supreme commander of the Turkish army can now also appear in the Supreme Court (Yüce Divan).[10][11]



Changes by article


Source: Government of Turkey, Prime Ministry; translated by Secretariat General for European Union Affairs (19 August 2010). "Law No 5982 Amending Certain Provisions of the Constitution" (pdf). Secretariat General for European Union Affairs. Retrieved 13 September 2010.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link).mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}




  • Measures ensuring equality between men and women, and protecting children, the elderly, disabled people, widows and orphans of martyrs as well as for invalid and veterans would not be considered a violation of the principle of equality. (Revises Article 10)

  • The protection of personal data and privacy would be revised, and everyone would be entitled to the protection of privacy. Access to data about personal information would be included within the new protection measures. (Revises Article 20)

  • Travel bans would be relaxed. Trips abroad would be restricted only if a person is subject to a criminal investigation or a legal case. (Revises Article 23)

  • Additional protections would be granted regarding family and children's rights. All children would expressly have the right to have direct communication with their mother and father and continue relations with them. (Revises Article 41)

  • Public servants would be allowed to be members of more than one union. Civil servants would also have the right to collective bargaining with a body for conciliation to be established in the event of disagreement. (Revises Article 53)

  • The ban on general strikes would be lifted. The measure would also include strikes held for political or solidarity purposes, as well as slowdown strikes. (Revises Article 54)

  • An ombudsman system to deal with problems that may arise between state institutions and citizens would be established. Every citizen would be granted the right to request information and apply to the ombudsman. (Revises Article 74)

  • Deputies would remain in their posts until their elected term ends, even if their parties are closed. (Revises Article 84)

  • The tenure of deputies elected for Parliament's presidential board would be modified. (Revises Article 94)

  • Decisions by the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ), that result in the expulsion of military officers from the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, would be allowed to be appealed in court. The amendment, however, has excluded YAŞ decisions that force military personnel to retire due to promotion procedures and the absence of tenure. Under current law, YAŞ decisions to expel military officers from the armed forces cannot be taken to court. (Revises Article 125)

  • Public servants would be granted the right to collective bargaining with regard to their financial and social rights. (Revises Article 128)

  • Public servants would be provided the right to apply to courts over censure or warning punishments they face in their workplaces. (Revises Article 129)

  • Justice services and the supervision of prosecutors with regard to their administrative duties would be performed by Justice Ministry inspectors. (Revises Article 144)

  • Civilian courts would be permitted to try military personnel, and military courts would not be permitted to try civilians other than during times of war. (Revises Article 145)

  • The size and membership of the Constitutional Court would be restructured. The number of members of the country's top court would be raised to 17 from 11, and Parliament and the president would elect and appoint members. Currently only the president can appoint members to the Constitutional Court. (Revises Article 146)

  • New court members would be selected for terms of 12 years or until they reach the age of 65. The current article does not set a term limit but stipulates that members retire upon reaching the age of 65. (Revises Article 147)

  • Citizens would be allowed the right to make personal applications to the Constitutional Court. The article would also pave the way for the court to act as the Supreme Council and acquire the authority to judge the chief of General Staff, force commanders and the Parliament speaker in the event of abuses of power. It also allows for the appeal of decisions made while the court acts as the Supreme Council. (Revises Article 148)

  • A quorum would be established for the Constitutional Court to convene and the minimum number of votes required to close a political party or annul constitutional amendments would be changed to two-thirds from three-fifths. (Revises Article 149)

  • The organization and function of the military Supreme Court of Appeals would be restructured. (Revises Article 156)

  • The function of the Supreme Military Administrative Court would be based on the principle of the freedom of the courts rather than the "necessity of military duty." (Revises Article 157)

  • The HSYK would be restructured to consist of 22 regular and 12 substitute members. Nineteen members would be appointed, four by the president. The court would also function in three separate departments and would have the power to launch investigations against judges and prosecutors. (Revises Article 159)

  • The Economic and Social Council would be established as a constitutional institution. The council provides consultation to the government in creating economic and social policies. (Revises Article 166)

  • An article banning the prosecution of the 1980 coup leaders would be annulled. (Annuls temporary Article 15)



Voting in parliament


On 30 March 2010, Turkey's ruling party submitted its package of constitutional amendments to the parliament. The changes were passed in parliament in late April and early May 2010 with over 330 votes,[12] below the two-thirds majority of 367 votes needed to pass them directly,[13] but enough to send them to a referendum within sixty days after President Abdullah Gül signs the law.
On 13 May 2010, president Gül signed the reform package.[14]


The composition of the parliament (550 seats) during the voting was as follows: AKP: 336, CHP: 97, MHP: 69, BDP: 20, Independent: 12, DSP: 6, DP: 1, TP: 1. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has 336 seats, but deputy Mehmet Ali Şahin cannot vote as he is the parliament speaker. CHP and BDP decided to boycott the voting. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voted against the articles.


Each article required more than 330 votes in order to pass. The amendment for Article 69, which would have limited the ability of the Supreme Court to dissolve political parties, did not meet this threshold in the second round and was therefore dropped from the package.[15]































































































































































































































































































































The Constitution
Issue[9]
First round
Second round
Results
MP turnout
Yes
No
Other
MP turnout
Yes
No
Other
Article 10
Equality before the Law
407
336
70
1
408
332
75
1

☑Y
Article 20
Privacy protection
405
337
68
0
408
334
72
2

☑Y
Article 23
Prohibition to leave the country
408
337
71
0
407
335
71
1

☑Y
Article 41
Family law and children's rights
408
336
69
3
408
338
69
1

☑Y
Article 51
More than 1 union membership
405
333
70
2
409
335
70
4

☑Y
Article 53
Collective bargaining
408
336
70
2
409
338
71
0

☑Y
Article 54
Strike and lockout
408
335
69
4
409
337
71
1

☑Y
Article 69
Political party closure
414
337
72
5
410
327
76
7

☒N
Article 74
Ombudsman
406
334
70
2
409
340
69
0

☑Y
Article 84
Membership in parliament
408
335
70
3
409
335
73
1

☑Y
Article 94
Parliament's presidential board
409
338
70
1
408
336
70
2

☑Y
Article 125
Recourse to judicial review
408
336
70
2
409
338
69
2

☑Y
Article 128
The right to collective bargaining
408
338
70
0
409
339
70
0

☑Y
Article 129
The right to apply to courts
408
336
71
1
408
339
69
0

☑Y
Article 144
Judicial oversight
407
335
71
1
409
338
70
1

☑Y
Article 145
Military Justice
407
337
70
0
410
336
72
2

☑Y
Article 146
Organisation of Constitutional Court
407
331
72
4
410
337
69
4

☑Y
Article 147
Term of office and membership
406
335
70
1
408
337
71
0

☑Y
Article 148
Functions and powers
407
337
69
1
408
337
70
1

☑Y
Article 149
Functioning and trial procedure
408
338
70
0
408
336
71
1

☑Y
Article 156
Military Court of Cassation
408
338
70
0
407
336
71
0

☑Y
Article 157
High Military Administrative Court
407
335
70
2
408
337
71
0

☑Y
Article 159
Organisation of the HSYK
409
336
72
1
409
334
73
2

☑Y


Annulment of the package


The main opposition party CHP not only argues that the constitutional package includes unconstitutional reforms, but also that it was passed through procedural violations. It wants the Constitutional Court to review the proposal process. The CHP's legal advisers also argued that the changes the package makes to the structures of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) are in violation of the constitutional principle of separation of powers. With this claim, the CHP alleges that the AKP is attempting to change one of Turkey's constitutional articles that cannot be amended. So in addition to a review of the package on procedural grounds, the CHP also demands a review of the content of the package. The CHP also demands a stay of the referendum results, bringing the total of CHP demands to three.


On 7 July 2010, the Turkish Constitutional Court delivered its final verdict on a package of constitutional amendments, which is to be subject to a public referendum on 12 September. The court has ruled in favour of the vast majority of the government's proposed reforms to the constitution. The court did not annul the whole package. Judges annulled certain parts of two articles, but rejected the demands of the Turkish opposition to scrap the whole package on technical grounds. The partially annulled articles pertain to the structure of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). They were controversial due to the changes envisioned in the member appointment processes.


Both the government and the opposition expressed disappointment with the Court's decision.[16]



Polls


A poll by Sonar Research in August 2010 forecasted 49.1% in favour of the draft and 50.9% opposed.[17]


A poll by KONDA Research in September 2010 forecasted 56.8% in favour of the draft, 25.6% were opposed, while 17.6% were undecided.[18][19][20]



Results









































Turkish constitutional referendum, 2010
Choice
Votes
%

Referendum passedYes

21,788,272

57.88
No
15,855,041
42.12
Valid votes
37,643,313
98.11
Invalid or blank votes
725,852
1.89

Total votes

38,369,165

100.00
Registered voters and turnout
52,051,828
73.71


Results by province



















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Province
Registered voters
People voted
Valid votes
Invalid votes
Yes
Yes (%)
No
No (%)
Turnout (%)

Adana
1,386,290
1,009,435
992,202
17,233
434,066
43.75
558,136

56.25
72.82

Adıyaman
358,247
292,354
287,491
4,863
231,222

80.43
56,269
19.57
81.61

Afyonkarahisar
483,583
421,921
411,452
10,469
270,258

65.68
141,194
34.32
87.25

Ağrı
274,121
154,668
148,624
6,044
142,311

95.75
6,313
4.25
56.42

Aksaray
245,874
194,680
190,600
4,080
146,102

76.65
44,498
23.35
79.18

Amasya
233,005
205,982
202,159
3,823
118,637

58.68
83,522
41.32
88.4

Ankara
3,341,633
2,669,076
2,632,720
36,356
1,423,474

54.07
1,209,246
45.93
79.87

Antalya
1,354,787
1,046,905
1,027,278
19,627
444,564
43.28
582,714

56.72
77.27

Ardahan
69,508
53,635
51,835
1,800
28,510

55.00
23,325
45.00
77.16

Artvin
122,503
96,838
94,707
2,131
47,164
49.80
47,543

50.20
79.05

Aydın
719,726
598,062
585,485
12,577
209,820
35.84
375,665

64.16
83.1

Balıkesir
859,259
735,639
722,086
13,553
348,418
48.25
373,668

51.75
85.61

Bartın
140,105
121,146
116,891
4,255
64,713

55.36
52,178
44.64
86.47

Batman
260,951
105,987
99,500
6,487
94,218

94.69
5,282
5.31
40.62

Bayburt
48,973
41,432
40,777
655
34,687

85.07
6,090
14.93
84.6

Bilecik
141,196
124,512
121,762
2,750
60,256
49.49
61,506

50.51
88.18

Bingöl
154,117
118,652
115,651
3,001
110,167

95.26
5,484
4.74
76.99

Bitlis
174,195
121,962
116,543
5,419
108,471

93.07
8,072
6.93
70.01

Bolu
198,972
172,551
169,077
3,474
110,644

65.44
58,433
34.56
86.72

Burdur
184,987
165,187
160,711
4,476
84,511

52.59
76,200
47.41
89.3

Bursa
1,843,820
1,517,902
1,490,239
27,663
839,892

56.36
650,347
43.64
82.32

Çanakkale
360,770
314,284
308,723
5,561
123,800
40.10
184,923

59.90
87.11

Çankırı
130,511
109,633
107,527
2,106
82,272

76.51
25,255
23.49
84.0

Çorum
384,676
338,874
333,237
5,637
226,051

67.83
107,186
32.17
88.09

Denizli
665,282
575,622
562,978
12,644
260,643
46.30
302,335

53.70
86.52

Diyarbakır
851,241
296,245
278,871
17,374
261,916

93.92
16,955
6.08
34.8

Düzce
237,477
201,385
197,817
3,568
143,443

72.51
54,374
27.49
84.8

Edirne
296,576
254,358
249,744
4,614
66,233
26.52
183,511

73.48
85.76

Elazığ
374,530
302,605
296,663
5,942
242,611

81.78
54,052
18.22
80.8

Erzincan
143,843
123,158
121,643
1,515
77,880

64.02
43,763
35.98
85.62

Erzurum
474,085
379,988
373,026
6,962
324,011

86.86
49,015
13.14
80.15

Eskişehir
570,044
472,251
463,957
8,294
213,331
45.98
250,626

54.02
82.84

Gaziantep
984,683
716,358
701,112
15,246
489,706

69.85
211,406
30.15
72.75

Giresun
306,396
244,438
240,153
4,285
152,479

63.49
87,674
36.51
79.78

Gümüşhane
88,536
67,596
66,396
1,200
52,110

78.48
14,286
21.52
76.35

Hakkâri
128,572
11,634
10,512
1,122
9,910

94.27
602
5.73
9.05

Hatay
922,012
767,414
756,763
10,651
362,011
47.84
394,752

52.16
83.23

Iğdır
105,349
53,822
51,941
1,881
28,023

53.95
23,918
46.05
51.09

Isparta
298,726
251,725
245,664
6,061
141,226

57.49
104,438
42.51
84.27

Istanbul
9,206,124
6,743,672
6,641,160
102,512
3,643,666

54.86
2,997,494
45.14
73.25

İzmir
2,870,888
2,283,928
2,246,593
37,335
815,943
36.32
1,430,650

63.68
79.55

Kahramanmaraş
653,042
547,100
539,219
7,881
428,103

79.39
111,116
20.61
83.78

Karabük
163,081
136,555
133,024
3,531
84,821

63.76
48,203
36.24
83.73

Karaman
158,392
136,818
133,482
3,336
88,019

65.94
45,463
34.06
86.38

Kars
183,800
125,998
122,490
3,508
80,243

65.51
42,247
34.49
68.55

Kastamonu
269,272
228,815
223,044
5,771
140,006

62.77
83,038
37.23
84.98

Kayseri
812,554
692,502
680,984
11,518
498,812

73.25
182,172
26.75
85.23

Kilis
75,649
63,243
61,936
1,307
41,411

66.86
20,525
33.14
83.6

Kırıkkale
195,333
159,578
156,827
2,751
108,586

69.24
48,241
30.76
81.7

Kırklareli
251,751
220,111
216,797
3,314
55,542
25.62
161,255

74.38
87.43

Kırşehir
156,339
125,002
122,527
2,475
71,258

58.16
51,269
41.84
79.96

Kocaeli
1,071,556
864,871
848,323
16,548
516,533

60.89
331,790
39.11
80.71

Konya
1,327,534
1,117,186
1,096,922
20,264
857,167

78.14
239,755
21.86
84.15

Kütahya
418,071
372,393
364,178
8,215
272,217

74.75
91,961
25.25
89.07

Malatya
497,796
413,038
408,425
4,613
307,133

75.20
101,292
24.80
82.97

Manisa
960,069
829,573
810,917
18,656
402,626
49.65
408,291

50.35
86.41

Mardin
385,674
165,856
157,664
8,192
147,344

93.45
10,320
6.55
43.0

Mersin
1,123,115
818,141
804,397
13,744
299,004
37.17
505,393

62.83
72.85

Muğla
593,187
492,611
483,363
9,248
149,763
30.98
333,600

69.02
83.04

Muş
208,405
112,730
107,806
4,924
99,403

92.21
8,403
7.79
54.09

Nevşehir
196,436
167,489
164,404
3,085
111,049

67.55
53,355
32.45
85.26

Niğde
219,841
180,549
176,310
4,239
107,474

60.96
68,836
39.04
82.13

Ordu
508,677
400,122
391,422
8,700
248,557

63.50
142,865
36.50
78.66

Osmaniye
308,075
255,251
250,480
4,771
133,827

53.43
116,653
46.57
82.85

Rize
229,426
180,309
177,369
2,940
134,961

76.09
42,408
23.91
78.59

Sakarya
612,621
505,267
496,127
9,140
333,871

67.30
162,256
32.70
82.48

Samsun
874,952
722,865
709,959
12,906
476,774

67.16
233,185
32.84
82.62

Şanlıurfa
827,755
566,395
556,434
9,961
523,882

94.15
32,552
5.85
68.43

Siirt
150,645
76,648
72,342
4,306
68,845

95.17
3,497
4.83
50.88

Sinop
149,452
124,319
121,213
3,106
73,262

60.44
47,951
39.56
83.18

Şırnak
197,046
44,326
37,749
6,577
33,626

89.08
4,123
10.92
22.5

Sivas
429,921
355,596
350,504
5,092
268,472

76.60
82,032
23.40
82.71

Tekirdağ
567,415
465,412
458,124
7,288
158,825
34.67
299,299

65.33
82.02

Tokat
423,544
359,680
353,708
5,972
228,442

64.58
125,266
35.42
84.92

Trabzon
543,650
428,766
421,131
7,635
288,911

68.60
132,220
31.40
78.87

Tunceli
56,409
37,918
37,260
658
7,072
18.98
30,188

81.02
67.22

Uşak
245,586
216,999
211,620
5,379
105,355
49.78
106,265

50.22
88.36

Van
530,745
231,449
220,748
10,701
208,501

94.45
12,247
5.55
43.61

Yalova
148,306
115,990
113,885
2,105
58,304

51.20
55,581
48.80
78.21

Yozgat
319,155
257,444
253,675
3,769
196,153

77.32
57,522
22.68
80.66

Zonguldak
455,043
380,435
369,517
10,918
184,931

50.05
184,586
49.95
83.6
Customs
2,556,335
196,299
194,737
1,562
119,817

61.53
74,920
38.47
7.68
Turkey
52,051,828
38,369,165
37,643,313
725,852
21,788,272
57.88
15,855,041
42.12
73.71

Source: Government of Turkey, Supreme Election Board (YSK) (12 September 2010). "Official Results – 12 September 2010 Constitutional Referendum" (Website). Yüksek Seçim Kurulu. Retrieved 13 September 2010.




Voting irregularities


Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the opposition represented by the Republican People's Party (CHP), could not vote because of a mix-up over where he should cast his ballot. "It was my responsibility to check the register of electors, but I could not do it due to my intense referendum campaign," he said.
[21][22]



Reactions



Domestic




  • Justice and Development Party (AKP) – Following the announcement of the results, Prime Minister Erdoğan said the state had "crossed a historic threshold toward advanced democracy and the supremacy of law."[3]


  • Republican People's Party (CHP) – Pointing to the 42% of voters who said "No" at the referendum, Kılıçdaroğlu said such a figure could not be underestimated and his party had a major role in reaching such a rate. "When we look at the result, we see that the Justice and Development Party has taken a very important step towards creating a judiciary mechanism that is entirely dependent on itself," Kılıçdaroğlu said. He also added Erdoğan administration was seeking dangerous levels of control over the country's judiciary, with two of the 26 approved amendments allegedly giving excessive influence to the government over the courts.[3]


  • Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) – Having been the first to publish a written statement, party leader Devlet Bahçeli claimed that with the constitutional amendments which will serve the backdoor intentions of the AKP to create a sectarian judiciary being approved by the Turkish nation, Turkey was dragged into the Dark Ages littered with dangers and vital threats, adding that bad days are ahead.[23]



International


The result of the referendum was welcomed by a number of international observers.




  •  European Union – The Enlargement Commissioner in the European Union, Štefan Füle, said: "As we consistently said in the past months, these reforms are a step in the right direction as they address a number of long-standing priorities in Turkey's efforts towards fully complying with the accession criteria."[24] The European Parliamentary deputy Richard Howitt, spoke for the European Parliament's Socialist and Democrat Group when he declared his support for the referendum results. "The unexpectedly large 'yes' vote in Turkey's constitutional referendum is a sign of the population's support for reforms that will prepare the country for European Union membership." He also said it would be a blow to European critics who suggested Turkey does not have the political will to make the necessary reforms to join the EU. He also supported calls to draw up a new constitution through cross-party consensus.[25]

    • Council of Europe – The Council of Europe's Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland called the move a significant step in the democratic development of Turkey. "The constitutional reform approved on Sunday is an important step forward towards bringing the country closer to European standards and practices."[25]



  •  Germany – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued a statement saying "I welcome the success of the referendum," "The reform of the constitution is another important step by Turkey on the road towards Europe."[26]


  •  Greece – Prime Minister George Papandreou called his Turkish counterpart to congratulate him for the government's success in Sunday's referendum on the constitutional amendment package. Greek Foreign Minister declared that the results of the referendum are a 'clear choice' and 'strong signal of support for the reforms promoted by Tayyip Erdoğan. "The Turkish people reaffirmed its commitment to the European perspective."[27]


  •  Iran – In a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki congratulated the Turkish nation's vote of confidence to the Ankara government in the recent referendum on constitutional amendments. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, both sides expressed hope for the further expansion of all-out ties and described First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi's upcoming trip to Turkey as another step towards bolstering Tehran-Ankara relations.[28]


  •  Italy – Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him for the "brilliant success" of the approval of the constitutional referendum and that there will be soon a bilateral summit between the two countries.[29]


  •  Kosovo – Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi has made a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to congratulate him and in which Erdoğan expressed Turkey's continued willingness to support the Republic of Kosovo.[30]


  •  Lebanon – Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri telephoned his Turkish counterpart and congratulated him for the results of the referendum.[31]Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri sent a telegram stating that this is a "historical and democratic victory" for Turkey and hoping that this referendum would be a lesson for democracy in the Middle East.[32]


  •  Pakistan – Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on telephone and congratulated him on victory in the referendum held on 12 Sept. He said," the results of referendum show the confidence of Turkish people in the dynamic leadership and pro-people policies of Mr. Erdoğan". He further said that the results were clear manifestation of the proof that democracy and democratic norms have strengthened to bring about changes for betterment of the people. The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude for assistance of the Turkish government and the people through Turkish Red Crescent for the victims of the 2010 Pakistan floods.[33]


  •  Palestine – President Mahmoud Abbas called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him for the success on the constitutional referendum.[34]


  •  Spain – Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said the referendum sent a "clear signal of Turkey's European vocation and it demonstrates the commitment of the Turkish authorities to modernize the political and social institutions." "And although some countries still have doubts and reluctance, I believe that in the end logic will prevail," Moratinos told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels.[35]


  •  Syria – President Bashar al-Assad telephoned the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him for the results of the referendum.[36]


  •  Sweden – Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said: "This opens the European door, even though it will take time to take that step." With the referendum, Turkey "paves the way for a more open and democratic evolution of the country."[37]


  •  United States – President Barack Obama also welcomed the results and called the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him and "acknowledged the vibrancy of Turkey's democracy as reflected in the turnout for the referendum."[24]



Aftermath


The Human Rights Association launched a petition to try Kenan Evren, the now retired general, over his role in the 1980 coup, as Evren defended the coup, saying military intervention was needed to bring an end to years of violence between leftist and rightist factions.


Hüseyin Çelik, the deputy chairman of the AKP, said the party's agenda would now be to work on a new constitution after the 2011 elections.[38]



References





  1. ^ ab Government of Turkey, Supreme Election Board (YSK) (12 September 2010). "Official Results – 12 September 2010 Constitutional Referendum" (Website) (in Turkish).


  2. ^ abcd Turkey backs constitutional changes BBC News. 12 September 2010. Retrieved on 12 September 2010.


  3. ^ abc Head, Jonathan (13 September 2010). "International backing given to Turkish reform vote". Istanbul: British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  4. ^ ab Schedule of referendum to be set after Constitutional amendment published in Official Gazette. The Free Library. 12 May 2010. Retrieved on 12 September 2010.


  5. ^ abc "Can Erdogan pull it off?". The Economist. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
    (subscription required)



  6. ^ Turkey’s constitutional groundshift EuroNews. 9 September 2010. Retrieved on 12 September 2010.


  7. ^ abcde "What will the Sept. 12 referendum bring?". Today's Zaman. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.


  8. ^ "What will the constitutional changes mean for Turkey?". Hurriyet. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.


  9. ^ abc Government of Turkey, Prime Ministry; translated by Secretariat General for European Union Affairs (19 August 2010). "Law No 5982 Amending Certain Provisions of the Constitution" (pdf). Secretariat General for European Union Affairs. Retrieved 13 September 2010.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)


  10. ^ abcd "Factbox: Turkey's constitutional amendments". Reuters. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.


  11. ^ Sağam, Fazıl (1 September 2010). "Orhan Pamuk ve Referandum". Hakimiyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  12. ^ Turkish constitutional reform package goes to final round, Hürriyet Daily News. 29 April 2010.


  13. ^ Pro-democracy NGO calls reform package a major step for democracy, Today's Zaman. 25 March 2010.


  14. ^ Opposition vows to challenge reforms after Turkish president signs package, Hürriyet Daily News. 12 May 2010.


  15. ^ Kiliç, Ali Aslan (4 May 2010). "Political party closure article dropped from package". Today's Zaman. Ankara: Feza Gazetecilik. Retrieved 14 September 2010.


  16. ^ Turkey's Constitutional Court does not block referendum, SETimes. 7 August 2010


  17. ^ Turks May Vote `No' in Referendum on Constitution Next Month, Poll Says, Bloomberg. 11 August 2010


  18. ^ Poll shows most Turks back reforms, Al Jazeera. 11 September 2010.


  19. ^ Financial Times Retrieved on 12 September 2010.


  20. ^ Poll shows majority back Turk reforms on eve of vote National Post. Retrieved on 12 September 2010.


  21. ^ "CHP leader apologizes for not voting in Turkish charter poll". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  22. ^ "Turkey's opposition leader breaks his silence on referendum results". WorldBulletin.net. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  23. ^ "İlk açıklama Bahçeli'den geldi" (in Turkish). mynet.com. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  24. ^ ab "Turkish Voters Say "Yes" to Amendments; US, EU Welcome". Al-ManarTV. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  25. ^ ab "Western powers back Turkish referendum results". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  26. ^ "EU dampens hopes of accession before Turkey referendum" (in German). AFP. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  27. ^ "Droutsas welcomes the 'yes' at the Turkish referendum" (in Greek). Naftemporiki. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.


  28. ^ "Iran lauds Turkey's referendum results". PressTV. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  29. ^ "Berlusconi chiama Erdogan: Brillante successo referendum" (in Italian). Virgilio. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  30. ^ "Prime Minister Thaci talks with his Turkish counterpart" (in Albanian). Kosova Press. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  31. ^ "Hariri congratulates Erdogan on referendum results". NowLebanon.com. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  32. ^ "Berri congratulates Erdogan on referendum results". NowLebanon.com. Retrieved 19 September 2010.


  33. ^ "PM telephones Turkish counterpart; felicitates on referendum victory". Associated Press of Pakistan. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  34. ^ "Asian, Balkans, Mideast leaders hail Turkish referendum results". Worldbulletin. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.


  35. ^ "Moratinos believes that the referendum demonstrates Turkey's European vocation" (in Spanish). EuropaPress. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  36. ^ "World leaders congratulate Turkish PM for referendum result". Worldbulletin. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.


  37. ^ "Turkey faces long road to EU membership". National Post. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.


  38. ^ "Call to try Turkish coup leaders". AlJazeera. Retrieved 19 September 2010.




External links




  • (in Turkish) Text of the Constitutional changes

  • Official translation of the proposed changes by the Government











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