The US State Department said on Monday it had taken note of concerns expressed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) regarding a referendum in Turkey on Sunday and that looked forward to its final report.
According a report by Reuters, Mark Toner, acting State Department spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday that it would withhold comment until the completion of a full assessment by the OSCE on the referendum, which the “yes” camp won by persuading only 51.4 percent of voters on a constitutional package that will expand President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s powers and switch Turkey to an executive presidency.
“We look forward to OSCE/ODIHR’s [Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights] final report, which we understand will take several weeks,” Toner said in the statement.
The OSCE’s initial assessment said on Monday that Sunday’s referendum in Turkey did not meet democratic norms.