April 17, 2017 2:35 AM

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Turkish referendum: 'Yes' camp claims victory to give greater powers to President

The 'Yes' camp in a referendum to give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greater powers claimed victory today, but the knife-edge result has left the country bitterly divided with the opposition crying foul.'<br/>'<br/>Opponents fear the constitutional changes, which would grant Erdogan more power than any leader since modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his successor Ismet Inonu, would lead the country to one-man rule.'<br/>'<br/>The 'Yes' campaign won 51.3 per cent of the vote against 48.7 per cent for 'No', the election commission said in figures quoted by state news agency Anadolu, in a count based on 99 per cent of the ballot boxes.<br/>''<br/>The presidential system, according to unofficial results, has been confirmed with a 'Yes' vote," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told jubilant supporters from the balcony of the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara. <br/><br/>It is a decision made by the people and in Turkey's democracy's history, a new page has opened, the Prime Minister said. <br/>'<br/>Turkey's two main opposition parties said they would challenge the results after alleged violations. '<br/>

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