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People who supported a "No" vote protested Sunday in Istanbul following results in a nationwide referendum that will determine Turkey's political future. Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

People who supported a "No" vote protested Sunday in Istanbul following results in a nationwide referendum that will determine Turkey's political future.

A day after he declared a narrow victory in a referendum vote that radically expands presidential powers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is criticizing elections observers and their concerns about the fairness of the vote.

Decrying a "crusader mentality," Erdogan told a crowd of his supporters that the international monitors should "know their place," according to Reuters. Erdogan added that Turkey did not "see, hear or acknowledge" the reports of irregularities from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Preliminary returns say the presidential proposal passed by just 51 percent of the vote.

The European monitor released preliminary findings about Sunday's poll, saying the vote "took place on an unlevel playing field and the two sides of the campaign did not have equal opportunities."

Its report states that "while the technical aspects of the referendum were well administered and referendum day proceeded in an orderly manner, late changes in counting procedures removed an important safeguard and were contested by the opposition." The OSCE also said the vote did not meet standards set by the Council of Europe.

Allegations of vote rigging are uncommon in Turkey, Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy tells NPR. "We don't know whether the amount of vote fraud was significant enough to change the outcome or more than 1 percent but definitely something happened."

But in a country that is deeply divided, "where it's almost half and half for and against Erdogan, if you even have allegations of voter fraud, whether or not it happened, his legitimacy will be completely and constantly questioned by that half that does not vote for him."

That could present problems for Erdogan in the future, Cagaptay says.

Acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said U.S. officials have noted the OSCE's concerns, according to Reuters. "We look forward to OSCE/ODIHR's final report, which we understand will take several weeks."

Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wait his arrival to Turkey's capital Ankara on Monday. Elif Sogut/Getty Images hide caption

Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wait his arrival to Turkey's capital Ankara on Monday.

Considering how tilted critics called the campaign, NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul says many were surprised at how close the vote was.

"It's close enough that the opposition says it's going to challenge alleged irregularities," he says. "It might be an uphill fight. It could be days or longer before we know the final results."

The new framework expands Erdogan's powers and means he could potentially stay in office until 2029. As Peter explains:

"Power would be more concentrated under the presidency.

"If the referendum is approved by majority vote, the office of prime minister would be abolished after the next elections, scheduled for 2019. Another body, the Council of Ministers, would also go, and all executive and administrative authority would be transferred to the president's office. ...

"The change would increase Erdogan's influence over who runs for Parliament.

"Cabinet ministers would no longer have to be members of Parliament, and the Parliament would not have power over Cabinet appointments ministers would be appointed directly by the president."

People who voted "Yes" say concentrating power in the hands of the presidency will make the country more stable, while critics say it will fundamentally undercut Turkey's democracy.

Cagaptay says Erdogan "has become the most powerful person in the country's history in at least a century."

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Erdogan Says Monitors Questioning Turkey's Vote Should 'Know Their Place' - NPR

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'Salt Bae' joins millions in Turkey referendum on Erdogan's power New York Daily News Stating simply, "The process is complete," Salt Bae didn't specify whether he saw fit to essentially keep President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power until 2029, as opponents of the measures charge, or if he agrees that little to no checks and balances ... and more »

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'Salt Bae' joins millions in Turkey referendum on Erdogan's power - New York Daily News

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As Turks prepare to vote in a referendum that would greatly expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the advocates of the change are brimming with confidence while opponents say they dont know how to prevent the advent of one-man rule.

The package of 18 constitutional amendments up for a vote Sunday would replace parliamentary democracy with a presidential government that puts most of the levers of power in Erdogans hands. Lawmakers would have little influence on key decisions, and the judiciary would be even more subservient than it is currently.

And Erdogan, already in power for 15 years, would be able to run for two more five-year terms when his current term ends in 2019.

Eskisehir, an industrial city of 800,000, is located in central Anatolia, the heartland for Erdogans ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), but its controlled by the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP). Theres been a spirited, yet civil, debate here, judging from the booths set up by yes and no backers in the city center, some next to each other.

But in a cafe near the university, the mood was somber this week as opponents of the changes explained why they were sitting around tables playing Rummikub, a Turkish board game, rather than campaigning door-to-door for their cause.

A lot has to do with the fact Erdogan scheduled the referendum during a state of emergency dating from last Julys abortive military coup that Erdogan blames on a Muslim cleric in U.S. exile.

Everyone is scared, said a student who asked to be identified only as Ismet, 23. If we went out on the streets, wed wind up in prison. He said he cant even post his views on Facebook, fearing the authorities would come down hard on his family.

But he also blamed the opposition organizers. Even among referendum opponents, Erdogan is seen as a real leader compared to Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the CHP leader.

We are talking to the yes people and trying to persuade them, said Yunus, 33, who also feared reprisal if he gave his full name. But he added that CHP leadership should be much more active, much more effective.

The two men and two young women, all medical students, agreed that Turkey is on the eve of a dictatorship, with no checks and balances on executive power. They said it could be like Germany in 1933, when Adolf Hitler rose to power, but they said they didnt know what they could do about it.

Utko Cakirozer, a former editor of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, whos now one of six parliament members from Eskisehir, had gone to the In Heavy Demand coffee house to cheer on the no campaign. (Cakirozer was a Daniel Pearl fellow at the Los Angeles Times in 2008.)

There is a psychological problem, he said in an interview. People believe no matter whether they vote yes or no, that yes will win.

He said he tries to counter that resignation by saying that the government wont be able to steal the vote if observers and the public keep a close watch on the ballot boxes.

But theres nothing he can do about the wide sense of intimidation that followed the governments firing of more than 110,000 civil servants and the jailing of more than 50,000 for allegedly supporting the putsch.

The opponents also had no way to counter Erdogans severe clampdown on the news media, the arrests of journalists and the closing of dozens of news outlets following the coup attempt.

The no backers had no way to stop Erdogan from taking full advantage of the state apparatus as he campaigned for the amendments, invariably receiving more TV news coverage than Kilicdaroglu and other no campaigners.

Nor could they match Erdogans skill in capitalizing on the countrys woes, which include a revival of the insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers Party separatists in southeastern Turkey and the threat Islamic State extremists based in neighboring Syria.

Yet whatever complaints the CHP may have about the government using the state of emergency to block access to the media and the general public, it pales in comparison to Erdogans crackdown on the mainly Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party, whose parliamentary leadership have been detained on charges of supporting the Kurdish separatists, widely known as the PKK.

City and town officials belonging to the Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party have been ousted from their positions and hundreds of its local leaders have been detained, the party said April 7. Rallies have been banned, the party cannot put up posters showing its leaders now in jail and it cannot even play its campaign song, party officials said.

In a day packed with appearances and interviews to rally support for the no vote, Cakirozer also made a low-key visit to a textile factory, where he greeted workers in the cafeteria.

I am afraid if [Erdogan] wins there will be a dictatorship, said Nurten Gunes, 24, a recent graduate in international relations, whos working on the production line pending her admission to a graduate degree program. She said her friends felt they were under pressure to vote yes in order to keep their jobs.

Other employees seemed well aware of what was at stake in the referendum and that the eyes of the world are now on Turkey.

All the world wants no to win, so the people around me say that we have to say yes, said Nebahat Toraman, 43, another worker.

The vote is indeed being watched closely from abroad. Turkey, a country of some 80 million that connects Europe with Asia and a critical U.S. ally in NATO, borders some of the worlds most unstable places, starting with Syria and Iraq.

Nearly every Western partner has expressed deep reservations about the proposed constitutional changes, but most have stayed silent so as not to provide a foil for Erdogans yes campaign. The Trump administration, which has allied with the PKKs Syrian affiliate in the battle against Islamic State extremists in Syria, has delayed its decision on a military plan to capture Raqqa, the self-declared Islamic State capital, until after the referendum.

The outcome Sunday is unclear, with some polls showing the country divided, and the main uncertainty is whether voters are telling the pollsters their true intentions Sunday or whether theyve made up their minds.

Gutman is a special correspondent.

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A woman walks past a giant poster bearing portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, ahead of the referendum on whether to change the current parliamentary system into an executive presidency. Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A woman walks past a giant poster bearing portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, ahead of the referendum on whether to change the current parliamentary system into an executive presidency.

Turkish voters will decide Sunday whether to replace the Turkish Republic's parliamentary form of government with a strong presidency. It's a vote that could alter or, opponents say, endanger the democratic traditions of this key U.S. ally. Turkey is a NATO member helping fight ISIS.

If the referendum passes, it will increase the power of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Polls released late in the campaign showed a narrow lead for "yes," with a large number still declaring themselves undecided. Erdogan is predicting at least a 55 percent margin for "yes."

The vote comes at a perilous time. Turkey remains under a state of emergency declared last July, following a failed coup that left nearly 300 people dead. The Erdogan government has used the emergency powers to conduct a sweeping purge of the military, judiciary and civil service. More than 100,000 people have been fired or arrested, including more than 100 journalists.

In this atmosphere, referendum opponents say it's difficult to run an effective campaign. Government officials dismiss this concern, noting that France is holding elections this spring while under a state of emergency following terrorist attacks in Paris.

The pro and con arguments

Supporters say the change will bring stability and efficiency to a government that has often been paralyzed by infighting. They note that Turkey has had 64 governments since the 1920s, rivaling Italy for instability. They say a stronger government will be better at fighting terrorism; the country has suffered several recent attacks.

Critics and analysts such as the Venice Commission, part of the Council of Europe, a 47-nation pact of European countries including Turkey, say it's "a dangerous step backwards in the constitutional democratic tradition of Turkey," warning of "the dangers of degeneration of the proposed system towards an authoritarian and personal regime."

The current system

Under the existing constitution, Turkey's chief executive is the prime minister, chosen by the parliament. Until recently, the president was an appointed position serving as head of state, not head of government similar to the queen of England.

Erdogan served as prime minister from 2002 until 2014, when he became Turkey's first president elected by the voters. He immediately announced that he would be a "different kind of president," and has taken a much more active role in running the government than his predecessors.

What would change

Power would be more concentrated under the presidency.

If the referendum is approved by majority vote, the office of prime minister would be abolished after the next elections, scheduled for 2019. Another body, the Council of Ministers, would also go, and all executive and administrative authority would be transferred to the president's office.

The current setup requires the president to be nonpartisan.

Under the new system, the president would no longer have that limit. Erdogan could formally rejoin the party he co-founded, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Erdogan resigned from the party when he became president.

The change would increase Erdogan's influence over who runs for Parliament.

Cabinet ministers would no longer have to be members of Parliament and the Parliament would not have power over Cabinet appointments ministers would be appointed directly by the president.

If the referendum is approved, the Parliament would have reduced oversight powers.

There is one change the referendum would bring that is being applauded by pro-democracy groups: the abolition of military courts.

Presidential terms

Under the current constitution, Erdogan can run for a second five-year term in 2019 and serve until 2024. Under the proposed changes, Erdogan could have his term limit effectively reset and stay in power through 2029.

Critics say there's a loophole that could give him even more years in the job than that. If Parliament calls snap elections during a second term, he has the option of running for a third.

What happens after the vote?

Assuming the referendum passes, most of the changes it contains won't take effect until the next set of elections, due in 2019. But two important provisions would kick in shortly after the vote. Erdogan would be able to reclaim his position as head of the ruling party, and he would gain new authority to appoint members to the council that oversees the naming of judges and prosecutors.

Opponents of the referendum say this could badly weaken the judiciary's independence, removing another check on presidential power.

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Will Turkey Vote To Give Erdogan Even More Power?