Erdoğan urges AKP to place emphasis on Istanbul, big cities in referendum campaign

İstanbul, Mar 23 (DHA) – With around three weeks to go to the referendum on shifting Turkey to a presidential system, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials to intensify their campaigning in big cities, particularly Istanbul, as polls remain tight.
Erdoğan expressed his views on the upcoming referendum during a cabinet meeting he chaired on Monday, in which he said weight should be placed on big cities.
Turkey will vote on April 16 on an 18-article constitutional package introducing a shift to an executive presidential system, with critics saying it will further tighten Erdoğan’s already iron grip on power.
During the cabinet meeting, the president reportedly asked about the results of public opinion polls conducted in southeast Turkey. Ministers assured that results were “satisfactory” but Erdoğan was not happy to hear that “yes” votes were only between 35 and 39 in Diyarbakır.
In the meeting, Erdoğan stressed the importance of avoiding lulls in campaigning, and the AKP has begun to review its campaign program to concentrate on big cities.
It has also suspended its planned campaign program abroad after the recent crises sparked with European countries, notably Germany and the Netherlands.