Polling stations open for crucial Turkey vote and here is what’s at stake
People in Turkey have started voting on the future of the country, with polling stations opening for a historic referendum on reforms that would concentrate power in the hands of the president.
If the "yes" vote prevails, the 18 constitutional changes will convert Turkey’s system of government from parliamentary to presidential.
The office of the prime minister will be abolished, and the reforms will grant extensive executive powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr Erdogan, who called the referendum, says the proposed "Turkish style" presidential system will ensure the country no longer risks having weak governments, and insists the stability will lead to a long period of prosperity.
But opponents fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule, ensuring that Mr Erdogan, who has been accused of repressing rights and freedoms, could govern until 2029 with few checks and balances.
Polls in eastern Turkey opened at 7am local time (4am GMT) and will close at 4pm (1pm GMT), while those in the more populous west were opening and closing an hour later.
More than 55 million people in the country of about 80 million are registered to vote.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu lambasted foreign countries for attempting to influence the referendum as he cast his vote in the southern province of Antalya.
He said some "from abroad tried to tell the Turkish nation what to do. They took sides but today the decision belongs to our nation".
He did not specify who he was referring to, but tensions have been high between Turkey and some European countries, particularly Germany and the Netherlands.
Mr Erdogan branded both countries Nazis for not allowing Turkish ministers to campaign for a "yes" vote there.
The Netherlands withdrew Mr Cavusoglu’s landing permission in March, barring him from addressing expatriate Turks there. Turkey said it would impose sanctions and halted high-level political discussions.
