Turkish election board rejects all referendum appeals

ANKARA

AA photo

Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK), the top office for the final decision on any poll disputes, rejected on April 19 all opposition objections to the results of the April 16 constitutional referendum. 

Both the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the third largest party in parliament, had submitted legal objections to the board, mainly due to its decision to not deem ballot papers without official seals invalid.

The YSK stated on April 19 that it inspected appeals from the two parties in parliament, as well as the Vatan Party, and rejected them all, with only one affirmative vote from its 11 members. 

“There is a crisis of legitimacy of [the referendum],” said CHP Deputy Chair Bülent Tezcan after the decision in a televised interview.

The CHP will decide on its next steps against the decision, Tezcan said, adding that the isssue “is the problem of the whole country.”