Turkey in new dawn as majority votes yes for constitutional referendum -

story by National Turk

Turkey’s constitutional referendum resulted in a 58% yes vote which will bring sweeping changes to the Turkish constitution after Sunday’s vote.

Photo left: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after the yes vote had emerged from the Turkish Constitutional Referendum

The much disputed referendum which proposed dozens of changes to the current Turkish constitution was implemented after a military backed coup in 1980.

The constitutional referendum which took place on the 30th anniversary of the military backed coup will now allow the masterminds of the coup that took the lives of thousands of people to be judged by Turkish courts.

The Referendum which took a vote of 58% yes and 42% no has been seen as an unprecedented victory for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before next year’s general election.

Erdoğan said “Turkey has gone a step forward towards greater democracy” after the referendum resulted in a yes vote.

However it was not an easy triumph for the Prime Minister who has been criticized by opposition Party’s for silencing media groups and news agencies which opposed the government.

One of the main forms of advertisement for the “YES” campaign by the government was to use Turkish pop idols and actors and actresses to say “they were voting yes” at the constitutional referendum.

And though the pop idols used by the government defended their choice of the referendum, opposition groups alleged the government of pressuring artists to say “Yes” in front of the media as a propaganda act.

Turkey’s ruling AK Party (Justice & Development Party) has been criticized by secularist Turks of having Islamic routes who want to bring an Islamic state into Turkey.

While the government denies these allegations, the new constitution after Sunday’s result will bring great changes to the Turkish judiciary.

In all, 26 changes were voted for by Turkish citizens on Sunday which the government was also criticized for as many people were ill informed of what the changes would implement.

Two of the amendments to the Turkish constitution will bring changes to the judiciary system and how the members of Turkey’s highest courts will be chosen.

The changes will now allow the government, great influence to the judges who are chosen to Turkey’s highest court.

The AKP have clashed many times with Turkey’s highest court and opposition Party’s say that the main reason behind the constitutional referendum was the changes towards the judiciary.