Publication

A series of constitutional amendments met the approval of 58% of Turkey’s electorate in the September 2010 referendum. Regarding its overall political effects, firstly the referendum testifies to the continuing resilience of the power of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the relative weakness of the opposition. Secondly, it raised questions of legitimacy, particularly in the Southeast region where a sizeable majority of the Kurdish electorate did not turn up at the ballot box following the boycott policy of the Kurdish nationalist Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).