EU Minister: OSCE report on referendum 'baseless'

ANKARA

The Turkish EU minister on Tuesday blasted the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report on Turkey’s constitutional referendum, calling it “baseless”.

In a press conference at the EU Ministry in Ankara, Omer Celik said: “The OSCE claims are baseless and far away from objective.”

On Monday, the OSCE said a "lack of equal opportunities, one-sided media coverage and limitations on fundamental freedoms” had created an “unlevel playing field" for Turkey’s constitutional referendum.

"In general, the referendum did not live up to Council of Europe standards. The legal framework was inadequate for the holding of a genuinely democratic process," said Cezar Florin Preda, head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Reminding OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier had congratulated the Egyptian people for adopting its constitution in a 2014 referendum, Celik termed it a double standard, saying: “There is clearly a double standard. Everything in question should be considered as showing the power of democracy in Turkey.”

He said the remarks made following the referendum had gone too far and that the report lacked respect for Turkish voters.

On Sunday, a majority of Turkish voters cast ballots in favor of 18 constitutional amendments, primarily aimed at switching from a parliamentary to a presidential system of governance.

*Reporting by Ugur Cil; Writing by Ahmet Sait Akcay