Turkey says “yes” to Constitutional changes
Turkish voters have firmly supported constitutional amendments proposed by the country's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who leads the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Preliminary results from a referendum held on Sunday in Turkey over a government-backed package of constitutional reforms showed that 58.43 percent of voters approved the amendments while 41.56 percent voted against, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
The results are seen as a major boost to Erdogan's government ahead of the general elections scheduled for mid-2011.
The Turkish prime minister went on to say that the result of the referendum sent an important message of democratic maturity to world nations.
He highlighted that September 12 marks a turning point in Turkey's democracy.