Austrian leaders said the European Union should end talks over Turkey's 30-year-old bid to join its ranks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a controversial referendum on gaining further powers.
ISTANBUL - A vote to grant new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sparked fresh arguments in a divided Turkey on Monday, as opposition parties called for the annulment of the referendum results and Erdogan insisted the debate over the outcome should stop.
Mr Erdogan was unfazed by the criticism as he spoke to flag-waving supporters in the capital Ankara.
"Efforts to cast a shadow on the result of the vote by spreading rumours of fraud are futile and in vain", Mr Yildirim said.
Turkey's president Monday rebuffed a report critical of Turkey's handling of Sunday's historic referendum, saying Ankara would ignore its claims, APA reports quoting Anadolu Agency.
For Turkey - under a state of emergency issued by Erdogan's government since last July's failed coup and having experienced mass crackdown on its citizens - the referendum has exposed bitter divisions in the country.
The move comes despite protests from opposition parties and global monitoring groups about voting irregularities during Sunday's referendum. The pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party, known as HDP, said it presented complaints about unstamped ballots affecting 3 million voters, more than twice the margin of Erdogan's victory.
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Unlike the Nigerian leader, the European Union on Tuesday called on Turkish authorities to launch "transparent investigations" after global observers criticised the fairness of the voting process during the recent referendum.
The yes vote means Turkey's parliamentary system of government will be replaced with a presidential one and could see Mr Erdogan remain in office until 2029.
The US State Department also expressed concerns, with spokesman Mark Toner echoing the OSCE's concerns there was an "uneven playing field" during the campaign.
The new system takes effect at the next election, now slated for November 2019.
"We are shoulder to shoulder against fascism", the crowd chanted, filling the staunchly anti-Erdogan Besiktas and Kadikoy district's of Turkey's largest city.
"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".
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