Alexander Mercouris
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With almost 50% of the votes counted, reports from the Anadolu news agency suggest that President Erdogan is looking to win the referendum on enhancing his constitutional powers by a margin of 58%-42%.
The regional breakdown of the votes corresponds with the political divisions of Turkey. The traditionally more liberal regions along the Mediterranean coast and the Kurdish area in Turkey’s south east is voting no. Turkey’s Anatolian heartland and Istanbul are voting overwhelmingly yes.
Given the lopsided nature of the results so far, it looks as if President Erdogan will indeed shortly consolidate his position as Turkey’s paramount and unchallenged leader, achieving a combination of constitutional and actual power such as that of no other Turkish leader since the death of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.