Ankara, March 27 (IANS): Over 50 per cent of Turkish voters are against the upcoming referendum that could hand wide-ranging executive powers to the President, a poll published on Monday revealed.
Of the 5,000 people surveyed by Sonar polling firm, 51.2 per cent said that they would say "No" in the April 16 referendum organised by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to approve a series of constitutional amendments, Efe news reported.
However, support for saying "Yes" has also been rising, promoted by the government, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Erdogan.
The AKP defended the adoption of the constitutional reform as it would result in greater political stability, while the opposition said the changes would weaken parliament's power and would give more power to the President to control the judiciary.
If approved, the new system will take effect after the next presidential election, scheduled for 2019.