Trump congratulates Erdogan after contentious win
WASHINGTON — Ignoring concerns raised by international monitoring groups, President Donald Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to congratulate him on the country’s contested referendum greatly expanding presidential powers.
The move comes despite protests from opposition parties and international monitoring groups — as well as Trump’s own State Department — about voting irregularities during Sunday’s referendum. And it aligns Trump with a leader who has taken on an increasingly authoritarian bent.
Voters Sunday narrowly approved constitutional amendments that will replace Turkey’s parliamentary system with a presidential one. Under the new system, the president will be able to appoint ministers and senior government officials, issue decrees and declare states of emergency.
Opposition parties have complained of a series of irregularities, including an electoral board decision to accept ballots that did not bear official stamps, as required by Turkish law. International monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the move undermined safeguards against fraud.