Feature: All eyes on youth as vote on powerful presidency nears in Turkey

As soon as school is over, Burcu and Ece take a bus and come to the Besiktas Square in central Istanbul these days.

The moment they are there, the bosom buddies, both aged 15, pick up "No" flyers from the tents established for the referendum campaign and start to distribute them to passers-by.

"Go to the polls and cast your votes," shout the peers who are wearing identical hair bands made up of flowers. Their shoutings mostly just vanish in the passing crowds.

The Turks face a historic referendum on this coming Sunday, when they have to decide on whether to grant the country's president more sweeping powers and curb those of the parliament.

There are 18 proposed amendments to the constitution to be voted on, but the most controversial is the transition from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency.

Critics say it is a "change of regime" rather than a "system change" as claimed by the ruling Justice and Development Party and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, thus leading to a one-man rule in the country.

The president and his supporters argue that a presidential system will make him better positioned to confront terrorism and other woes facing Turkey.

With the clock ticking away, all the segments in society are urging the youth to cast their votes, as the researches reveal that most of them, particularly university students, will choose to stay away from the polls on the voting day.

According to press reports, 45 percent of university students across the country say they will not cast their ballots.

The number of young voters aged between 18 and 25 has hit nine million, while Turkey boasts 58 million eligible voters in total.

"We are appealing all the people to cast their votes but mainly our older brothers and sisters, who are over 18-year-old and eligible to vote," Burcu told Xinhua. "They shouldn't forget they are going to determine our future as well."

Burcu and her friend said they believe in democracy and envision a democratic Turkey in the future.

According to Ece, the country should not be ruled by a single person. "Everyone should have a say in the system," she said. "Otherwise it wouldn't have any difference from a monarchy."

Burcu noted that she could consider living abroad "if everything will become intolerable in terms of being oppressed in every aspect of life under a one-man rule."

"I do not want to leave this country," she added. "I should have a future in my own country that I would defend with all my heart."

Right next to Burcu and Ece, Zeynep Kobalaz, another young woman wearing a headscarf, was distributing "Yes" flyers.

"Casting our votes is a citizen's duty," the 25-year-old told Xinhua. "I invite all people, no matter what they say, to go to polls for our future, for our children and even for our grandchildren."

She believes there will be a better Turkey under the new constitution as "the country will be able to solve its problems easily."

But when asked what problems she was referring to, Kobalaz said she has a deep faith in all the amendments proposed, declining to go further.

"This vote is completely different from those we had experienced previously," 78-year-old Aydin Velioglu told Xinhua. "That is why as the old and experienced people we have dedicated ourselves to explain the importance of this referendum to young people."

"Young people need to say something and be part of this important process," Sercan Celebi, co-founder of the Vote and Beyond organization, said in an interview with a local media outlet.

One of the main objectives of Vote and Beyond is to promote participation in vote and ensure transparency in ballot counting.

The average age in the Turkish parliament is 50, while young parliamentarians account for only 1.6 percent in a country with one of the biggest young populations in the world, according to Celebi.

"Young people do not like the options that are presented, or they do not like the politicians and they say 'this is not my job' while rejecting being part of the political process," he said.

"There must be an environment where being critical and at the same time accepting criticism can be taken as normal," he added.

Like others, Celebi called on young people to cast their votes, advising them not to deliver the right to determine their future "in the hands of those who were born 30 years earlier than them."

The appeal to young voters has appeared on social media like Twitter and Facebook as well, with posted messages like "Young people! To the polls please."

This message argues that the upcoming plebiscite would be different from any other votes in the past, as "every single vote has the potential to create a difference." Endit