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EU calls on Turkey to seek broadest possible national consensus

Xinhua, April 17, 2017 Adjust font size:

The European Union(EU) on Sunday called on the Turkish authorities to seek the broadest possible national consensus.

In a joint statement issued by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, the top brass said they "take note of the reported results of the referendum, and "are awaiting the assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR International Observation Mission, also with regard to alleged irregularities."

"The constitutional amendments, and especially their practical implementation, will be assessed in light of Turkey's obligations as a EU candidate country and as a member of the Council of Europe(CoE),"they said,urging Turkey to "address the CoE's concerns and recommendations."

"In view of the close referendum result and the far-reaching implications of the constitutional amendments, we also call on the Turkish authorities to seek the broadest possible national consensus in their implementation." they added.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim declared late Sunday victory for the "Yes" camp in the referendum for constitutional amendments that will change the governing system of the country from parliamentary system to presidential system.

With 99 percent of votes counted, 51.35 percent backed the constitutional changes, compared to 48.65 percent for the "No" side, according to figures by state-run Anadolu Agency.

More than 86 percent of 55 million Turkish electorates, including 1.3 million voters abroad, cast vote on Sunday. Endit