Turks protest against referendum result in Istanbul

Turks protest against referendum result in Istanbul
Sun Apr 23, 2017 12:15:57

Several hundreds of demonstrators have poured onto the streets of Istanbul to protest the outcome of last week’s disputed referendum in which voters narrowly approved expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s executive powers.

(Press tv) -- Chanting anti-Erdogan slogans during Saturday’s march, the protesters vowed to stay on the streets until the referendum’s result is annulled.

They carried banners reading, “No to one-man rule,” “Referendum should be annulled” and "No. We won!" A demonstrator held up a cartoon of Erdogan reading, “They don’t let me be the president.”

"There is hatred and anxiety around us. We are going in the direction opposite to one we should be going. I am trying to make myself heard as this is the only thing I can do," said protester Aysu Kaya.

In the April 16 referendum, Erdogan's ‘Yes’ campaign won 51.36 percent of the votes, while the ‘No’ campaign gained 48.64 percent. Turkey's three largest cities – Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir – voted against the constitutional reforms.

Erdogan declared victory in the vote, but opponents said the referendum was deeply flawed.

On Friday, Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) filed a court appeal against a decision by electoral authorities to accept unstamped ballot papers in the tightly contested vote.

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