Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called himself “the guardian of peace and freedoms,” Reuters reported.

“We are the guardians of peace, we are the guardians of freedoms,” the head of the state said during a rallying speech in the region's largest city Diyarbakir. The Turkish leader is trying to get support of the Kurdish population ahead of the referendum on reforms that would grant him sweeping new powers.

Turkish voters will head to the polls in a controversial referendum on April 16 that could vastly expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.