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1st LD: Polling stations open for Turkish constitutional referendum

Xinhua, April 16, 2017 Adjust font size:

More than 167,000 polling stations across Turkey opened at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Sunday for a referendum on expanding presidential powers.

More than 55 million Turkish citizens, including 1 million first-time voters, will vote on constitutional amendment that proposes replacing the current parliamentary system with an executive presidential system.

The referendum, initiated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will end at 4 p.m.(1300 GMT).

In Turkey's western provinces, the voting process will start and end one hour later than the official time. Ballot counting will begin as soon as the polls close.

The referendum is expected to attract a high turnout, with 1.2 million young people eligible to vote for the first time.

The "Yes" campaign is backed by the ruling Justice and Development Party and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party, whereas the main opposition Republican People's Party is in favor of "No." Endi