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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Turkey in final referendum push

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Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday made a final push for votes in a referendum on expanding his powers, as the authorities said they had foiled a possible extremist plot against the poll.


Opinion polls have predicted a tight outcome on Sunday despite the considerable advantages of the ‘Yes’ campaign in both airtime and campaign resources.


The referendum will take place under a state of emergency that has been in place since last summer’s failed coup.


Analysts regard the referendum as a crossroads in the modern history of the country that will affect not just the shape of its political system but also its relations with the West.


“April 16 will be a historic turning point,” Erdogan told a rally in Konya, the Anatolian city seen as the heartland of conservative supporters who have benefited from his rule.


The referendum is taking place after a bloody year of terror attacks in Turkey blamed on extremists and Kurdish militants.


Adding to security concerns, police detained five suspected IS extremists in Istanbul accused of planning a “sensational” attack targeting the weekend referendum.


Authorities on Tuesday detained another 19 suspected IS supporters in the Aegean city of Izmir, accused of planning to sabotage the vote.


If the new system is passed, it will abolish the office of prime minister, enabling the president to centralise all state bureaucracy under his control and also to appoint cabinet ministers.


Erdogan in an earlier television interview expressed confidence the new presidential system would be approved, saying there were no longer undecided voters.


“’Yes’ has gone up considerably, while ‘No’ has gone down,” he said.


A poll by the Konda group showed ‘Yes’ ahead at 51.5 per cent but the Sonar group has projected a ‘No’ vote of 51.2 per cent, and with other polling companies producing different figures the outcome remains uncertain.


— AFP


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