A recent opinion poll shows that a narrow majority of Turkish people would vote “Yes” in an upcoming constitutional referendum aimed at increasing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers.
The survey, published by the Gezici research and polling company on Thursday, found that 51.3 percent of the voters backed constitutional reforms to change Turkey’s political system into a presidential one. Another 48.7 percent were against it, according to the poll.
Two other surveys carried out a day earlier had also put the number of “Yes” voters at 51 and 52 percents.
The Thursday poll was conducted via face-to-face interviews with some 1,400 Turks in 10 provinces across the country between April 8 and 9.
On February 10, Erdogan approved a bill on the constitutional reforms. It now awaits possible approval in the referendum, which has been scheduled for April 16.
If approved, the new constitution would allow Erdogan to stand in two more election cycles, potentially governing until 2029.
The proposed constitutional changes have been met with protests across the country, with critics saying the reforms would usher in an era of authoritarian rule and cement the ruling AKP’s power.