CHP Appeals to ECtHR Challenging Referendum Procedure, Results

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Republican People's Party (CHP) İzmir MP Musa Çam has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against the referendum process and the results.

CLICK - DETAILED RESULTS OF REFERENDUM ACCORDING TO SUPREME ELECTION BOARD

Content of the application

According to the report of the Doğan News Agency (DHA), Musa Çam explained in sum what had happened in the referendum process and said:

"During the referendum process, all public funding has been used to promote the 'Yes' votes in an extensive plan organized personally by our President [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] who took pledge to impartiality".

Stating that there were programs in the media accusing the potential "No" voters of "supporting the terrorist organization", Çam noted that "the referendum was held under circumstances in which many rights and liberties were restricted with several statutory decrees issued under the State of emergency".

Çam has argued that the referendum results were illegitimate and did not reflect the will of the people on the referendum due to YSK's decision to consider the unsealed ballot papers valid and included all the documents regarding the complaints he had submitted during the referendum process to his application.

First application was made yesterday

The first individual application to the ECtHR claiming irregularities in the referendum was made by columnist and managing editor Özgür Topsakal yesterday (April 27).

Rejection from Election Board, Council of State, No Response from Constitutional Court

All applications made by CHP, HDP and Vatan Party seeking the annulment of the Referendum held on April 16 to the Supreme Election Board as well as the applications made to the Council of State had been denied.

The Constitutional Court has not handled the issue yet.

Constitutional Court President Zühtü Arslan speaking at the 55th foundation anniversary of the Constitutional Court had said "Changing regulations clearly set by the constitutional law-maker through re-interpretation basically means to make constitutional amendments by the hand of the court". (AS/DG)