Berlin Urges Ankara to Take Observers' Concern Over Referendum Seriously

Turkish authorities should respond to the concerns voiced by international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe, who had monitored the recent constitutional referendum in the country, Germany's deputy government spokeswoman said Wednesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — The observers from international organizations such as the OSCE said that Turkey's Sunday referendum, the results of which supported the expansion of the country's presidential powers, was accompanied with certain manipulations. Turkish authorities rejected the OSCE findings, calling them biased.

"The federal government perceives the report of the OSCE and the European Union very seriously. We expect that Turkey would do the same. We will thoroughly monitor the way Turkey would respond to it. From the viewpoint of the German government, the Turkish leadership should perceive the report of the observers and to clarify the issues raised there," Ulrike Demmer said at a briefing.

Speaking about the status of Turkey's NATO membership amid discussions about the country's reinstatement of the death penalty, Demmer added that it would nevertheless continue to be Germany's partner within the military alliance.

At the referendum, over 51 percent of Turkish voters supported the proposed amendments that would significantly expand the powers of the country's president. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the results of the vote showed a "historic decision" that allowed for the implementation of one of the most important governance reforms in Turkey's history.

At the same time, the observers had criticized the election due to alleged vote manipulation by accepting some 2.5 million unstamped ballots and several video files showing violations at the polling stations.