Turkey’s opposition CHP to demand annulation of referendum

In Turkey after the referendum, opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet ran a headline focused on
AFP

Ankara (AFP) – Turkey’s main opposition party on Tuesday will formally present the Supreme Election Board (YSK) with a demand to annul the result of the referendum granting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan new powers, after alleging major violations.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chairman Bulent Tezcan will present the demand at 1130 GMT, the party said in a statement.

The opposition has been particularly incensed by a last-minute move from the YSK to accept ballot documents in envelopes without an official stamp.

The “Yes” camp won Sunday’s referendum with 51.41 percent of the vote but the aftermath has been shadowed by opposition claims of blatant vote-rigging and angry protests in parts of Istanbul.

Speaking to a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said “everyone has to respect the result, including the main opposition party.”

“The nation’s will emerged freely from the ballot box… This work has now finished. It’s wrong to say something after the nation has spoken,” he said.

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