Turkey vote on expanding Erdogan powers 'unequal'

The result came at the end of a divisive two-month campaign during which Erdogan accused opponents of the vote of supporting "terrorists" and denounced as Nazi-like the decision of some European Union countries to bar his ministers from lobbying the diaspora.

Residents in a number of neighbourhoods in Istanbul, which narrowly voted "no", took to the streets banging pots and pans to protest against Erdogan's victory.

On Monday, Turkey extended the state of emergency for three months.

Asked to comment about Erdogan's rebuke, de Zulueta said: "I don't have an opinion, we are invited by the Turkish authorities to observe".

Mr Erdogan has also said he would approve the death penalty if it was supported in a referendum or a bill submitted to him through parliament, which would end Turkey's aspirations to join the EU.

Turkey has been officially negotiating as a candidate country with the European Union since 2005 and abolished capital punishment in 2004 as part of European Union reforms.

The Turkish president also said that Turkey "does not see, hear, or acknowledge reports by the OSCE observer mission". "We continue to make new challenges", he said. "Wait!" Erdogan told supporters outside the presidential palace in Ankara, referring to Turkey's long-standing membership bid.

However, the Electoral Commission was heavily criticised by Turkey's opposition after it said it would count ballots that had not been stamped as valid by officials as valid, unless they could be proved fraudulent.

He has also been at the centre of global affairs, commanding NATO's second-biggest military on the border of Middle East war zones, taking in millions of Syrian refugees and controlling their further flow into Europe.

Speaking of Turkey's fight against terror, Erdoğan said Turkey will carry out as many operations as necessary in the fight against terror and that Operation Euphrates Shield will certainly not be the last. Opposition parties all claimed Erdogan supporters used intimidation, detentions, beatings and threats to keep no supporters in check. The main opposition party immediately contested the result, citing a series of irregularities, and critics raised concerns about the fairness of the vote in the fraught political environment.

Erdogan and the AK Party enjoyed a disproportionate share of media coverage in the buildup to the vote while the leaders of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), which opposes the changes, have been in jail for months.

"There is only one decision to ease the situation in the context of the law - the Supreme Election Board (YSK) should annul the vote", the Dogan news agency quoted CHP deputy leader Bulent Tezcan as saying.

The president survived a coup attempt a year ago and responded with a crackdown, jailing 47,000 people and sacking or suspending more than 120,000 from government jobs such as teachers, soldiers, police, judges or other professionals.

He added, "The change in the constitution which was accepted with the highest turnout in Turkish history will benefit our nation".

The result triggered a 2 percent rally in the Turkish lira from its close last week. "That is why it is very significant", Erdogan said.

Ties between Germany and Turkey plunged during the referendum campaign when Erdogan accused authorities of acting like "Nazis" by banning ministers from campaigning to Germany's huge ex-pat Turkish community.

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.