Main opposition CHP appeals to election watchdog to nullify referendum

Turkey's main opposition party and scores of citizens have appealed to the election watchdog for the annulment of a critical referendum that resulted in a narrow win for the government, arguing that unsealed ballot papers and envelopes were counted in open violation of the law.   

"This referendum will be recalled as the 'unsealed election.' The only thing that needs to be done with regard to this referendum, which has lost its legitimacy, is its annulment," Bülent Tezcan, the deputy leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), told reporters after he officially submitted a petition for the annulment to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) on April 18. 

The petition of the CHP cited a number of irregularities during both the voting and counting processes for the April 16 referendum, specifically underlining that the YSK's decision to count unsealed ballot papers as valid increased suspicions of fraud. 

The CHP also recalled that an amendment to the Election Law in 2010 stipulated that unsealed ballot papers were not valid, meaning that the YSK openly breached the law. 

Tezcan also highlighted that the decision given by the YSK during the voting process made it impossible to distinguish proper ballot papers from unsealed ones, increasing question marks over the referendum. 

Along with the CHP, 700 citizens applied individually to the YSK for the annulment of the referendum, making a queue before the premises of the election watchdog. Erdal Aksünger, another deputy leader of the CHP, visited YSK head Sadi Güven in his office to technically explain the reasons of their appeal. 

The YSK did not comment on the CHP's appeal for the annulment but Güven had earlier defended their decision on the grounds that they have...