Turkey says European rights court has no jurisdiction over referendum

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".

It said the two leaders "agreed on the importance of holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable".

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said a "lack of equal opportunities, one-sided media coverage, and limitations on fundamental freedoms" had created an "unlevel playing field" in Turkey's vote.

Under the changes, most of which will only come into effect after the next elections, due in 2019, the president will appoint the cabinet and an undefined number of vice presidents, and will be able to select and remove senior civil servants without parliamentary approval. Turkey's High Electoral Board made a last-minute decision on Sunday to count ballots that had not been stamped by officials.

"In general, the referendum did not live up to Council of Europe standards", said Cezar Florin Preda, head of the Council of Europe delegation. He said "No" would have emerged victorious were it not for the YSK's changes.

The State Department statement is reflective of the broader worldwide consensus regarding the election, which election monitors insisted was plagued by irregularities, and the results, which will eliminate Turkey's parliamentary democracy.

The CHP said it would not recognize the result and would explore every avenue to overturn it, including applying to the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights, after the YSK rejected all appeals on Wednesday.

On Monday, global election monitors delivered a scathing verdict on the conduct of the referendum.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, speaking on CNN Turk, urged the opposition Wednesday to drop its challenge.

"They have a right to have elections and their people participated in that", Spicer said.

Inside Story: Where's Turkey headed after its referendum?

MS. Shinas also noted that if Turkey were to reinstate the death penalty, which Mr. Erdogan has shown willingness for, the country's prospects of joining the European Union would be over. "It's what we call national will".

Unlike U.S. President Donald Trump, the European Union would not congratulate Erdogan on his triumph, a Western official with knowledge of EU policy told Reuters.

Turkish presidential sources quoted the U.S. leader as saying: "I attach importance to our friendship and we have a lot of work to do together".

Bilginsoy contributed from Istanbul and Mehmet Guzel contributed from Ankara. Analysts have said the "No" camp's performance was impressive especially given that the election was held under a state of emergency first imposed after the failed July coup.

The Hurriyet daily said a major cabinet reshuffle was now in the offing, with changes expected in some 10 cabinet posts.