Most of the citizens of Turkey supported the implementation of the constitutional reform, as a result of which the country will turn from parliamentary to a presidential republic. Such are the final results of the referendum held in Turkey on Sunday, April 16.

Based on the results of processing 99.97% of the ballots, 51.41% of citizens voted for changes in the political system, their opponents opposed making amendments to the Constitution, the Anadolou news agency reported.. The victory of the supporters of the constitutional reform was officially announced by the head of the CEC of Turkey Sadi Guven. Turnout in the referendum was 85.46%.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated fellow citizens on the results of the referendum. According to him, for the first time in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the system of power. In his address to the nation, Erdogan said that the results of the plebiscite are "proof of the people's determination to determine their own destiny, the future of the country". "This is the victory of all Turkey, an area of ??780 thousand. Square. Km, of all 80 million citizens who inhabit 81 provinces of the country, "he added.. Erdogan also urged all parties to recognize the results of the voting, to abandon unnecessary discussions and strive for new achievements.

According to the package of constitutional amendments, it is assumed that the power in Turkey will be concentrated in the hands of the president. The Prime Minister's post will be eliminated. The powers of the head of state will be significantly expanded. The President can personally appoint a vice-president, ministers and high-ranking officials. In addition, the scope of his powers will include the creation and disbandment of ministries, empowerment and responsibilities, the formation of their structure. The president will also be able to introduce a state of emergency without prior approval from the parliament and issue laws and decrees that have full force without approval from the parliament. Deputies can, if desired, only repeal such laws.

Changes will affect the parliament. The number of deputy seats will increase from 550 to 600. Age threshold for deputies will be reduced from 25 to 18 years. A person who will be appointed directly to the parliament by the president will be able to remain in the ranks of his party.

Innovations are also reserved for the system of elections. The president and parliament will be elected for a term of five years (previously the parliament was elected for four years). The head of state will not be able to hold office for more than two consecutive terms. Decisions on re-elections can be made by both the president and the parliament. Elections to legislative and executive bodies will also be held on the same day.

Previously, constitutional amendments were approved by parliamentarians and the president of the country. The amendments approved by citizens will come into effect after the general elections scheduled for November 2019.

The political forces supporting Erdogan - the centrist Party of Justice and Development and the Nationalist Party of the National Movement - said that the transition to the presidential system of governance would help Turkey respond more quickly to terrorist attacks and other external threats, and stabilize the political system of power and help avoid a permanent rotation of the coalition government.

At the same time, the opponents of the head of state - representatives of the left-of-center People's Republican Party and the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party - opposed the reforms, arguing that Erdogan wants to achieve a single power in the country through reform. Members of the People's Republican Party announced their intention to challenge the results of the referendum. According to their data, about 2.

5 million ballots could be filled with violations, and the falsification of results can be 3-4%.

Experts note that the victory proposed by Erdogan reform in the referendum was predetermined by the fact that he was able to enlist the support of the broadest sections of the population. In addition to the traditionally voting corporate public, the president was able to please young people and even individual representatives of the leftist forces. Erdogan was supported by the multi-million Turkish diaspora in Europe.