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Erdogan's referendum win no clean sweep

Turkey’s historic referendum has passed, yet the "yes" camp’s slim margin of victory and the opposition’s accusations of foul play mean Turkish politics will remain volatile.
A man reads Sabah newspaper bearing a headline which translates as "Revolution of people"" in Istanbul on April 17, 2017, a day after Turkey's referendum. 
The deputy leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called on April 17, 2017 for the results of a referendum agreeing new powers for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to be annulled. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AKGUL        (Photo credit should read YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey’s April 16 popular referendum amending the constitution to establish an executive presidency passed 51.41% to 48.59%. The results were virtually identical to the estimates of Turkey’s two leading polling firms, Gezici and Konda.

Yet several dynamics suggest the referendum will be anything but the climactic showdown that would have given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a clear mandate to unify a deeply divided Turkey and prepare the country for his executive presidency. (The amendments do not come into effect until 2019.)

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