Turkey's opposition CHP cries "fraud" in crucial referendum
- 7 years ago
Supporters of Turkey’s main opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) are furious at the decision by the electoral board to allow unstamped ballots as valid votes.
They have accused the organisation of becoming a manipulation tool of the ruling party.
CHP Deputy Chairman, Bulent Tezcan said it undermines the legitimacy of the referendum:
“The High Electoral Board has changed the rules after the voting started. There is a clear clause in electoral law saying unstamped ballots must be considered invalid.”
The CHP estimates the number of ballot papers having been included in the count despite being unstamped are around two million – that amounts to between three and four percent of the vote and could have had a major bearing on the result. The party has denounced this and other alleged violations of the electoral process.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which has had two of its leaders imprisoned under President Erdogan, is also critical of the vote and has said the result would not be legitimate until an appeal was finalised.
They have accused the organisation of becoming a manipulation tool of the ruling party.
CHP Deputy Chairman, Bulent Tezcan said it undermines the legitimacy of the referendum:
“The High Electoral Board has changed the rules after the voting started. There is a clear clause in electoral law saying unstamped ballots must be considered invalid.”
The CHP estimates the number of ballot papers having been included in the count despite being unstamped are around two million – that amounts to between three and four percent of the vote and could have had a major bearing on the result. The party has denounced this and other alleged violations of the electoral process.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which has had two of its leaders imprisoned under President Erdogan, is also critical of the vote and has said the result would not be legitimate until an appeal was finalised.