The referendum held in Turkey on April 16, 2017 to approve amendments to the constitution – in essence, transition from a parliamentary mode of government to a presidential system, with a limited set of checks and balances between the governing authorities – was staunchly promoted by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As such, many saw the referendum as a vote of confidence in the President, although even some of Erdogan’s supporters believe that the change in system is a mistake, because it grants the president too much power. Perhaps this situation is comfortable for Erdogan today, but what will happen when someone else comes into power?

Of the extensive commentary published since the announcement of the referendum results, two main perspectives may be identified. One approach postulates that the fact that the amendments to the constitution were approved by a slim majority – about 51 percent – constitutes a source of hope for the opposition factions, since it indicates that the support for Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is not as steadfast as it used to be. This contention carries greater weight in light of statements made by the International Limited Referendum Observation Mission sent on behalf of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights that cast the possibility of waging a campaign before the referendum as unfairly biased in favor of the “yes” supporters.

In addition, the amendments to the constitution were not supported by the majority in Istanbul, which is significant given the city’s economic importance, and particularly since Erdogan has always enjoyed the support of Istanbul in elections since he was its mayor. Other pundits, however, believe that it matters little by what percentage the referendum was passed; the very fact that it was passed gives an official seal of approval to President Erdogan’s autocratic regime, which de facto already exists.

Read the full article at INSS.