49.9 percent of Berlin-based Turkish voters voted against the expansion of the Turkish president’s powers during the referendum. In the rest of the 12 consulates in the territory of Germany the supporters of the constitutional amendments won with much greater advantage. In North Rhine Westfalia the victory of Erdoğan’s supporters was crushing: in Düsseldorf 69.6 percent of the voters voted for the expansion of the Turkish president’s powers, this number amounting to 75.9 in Essen.

“I don’t understand. The majority of Turks in Germany are voting for the political system they themselves don’t want to live in,” Oberbürgermeister of Essen, Thomas Kufen, wrote on his Twitter page, DW reports. 

In Germany only 1.4 million Turkish citizens had a right to vote during the referendum within the period from March 17 to April 9. On average, 63 percent of the total number of Turkish voters, i.e. over 400,000 people, voted for the constitutional amendments.

Meanwhile, in Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands, the supporters of Erdoğan’s reforms won over 70 percent of the votes. The opponents of the amendments won in the Czech Republic (87.5 percent of “no” votes), the United Arab Emirates (86.7 percent) and Bahrain (86.4 percent).

According to the preliminary results, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan-led “Yes” campaign has won Sunday’s referendum in Turkey by garnering 51.2 percent of the votes.

Eighteen constitutional amendments were put to the vote on Sunday, and according to which Turkey is to transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government.

Turkish opposition and international analysts stress, however, that with these amendments, Erdoğan is gaining the sole right to govern Turkey, and that this is perilous for democracy and freedoms in the country.

The president has already announced his plans for reinstating the death penalty in Turkey.