Mayor of Muş, a province in eastern Turkey, allegedly threatened that the citizens who vote by secret ballot in Turkey’s presidential referendum are the "supporters of Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen's network was one of the masterminds of the coup attempt.
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) supporters are competing with each other in the issue of gerrymandering in Turkey’s presidential referendum, as the voting process has been going on. It is claimed that mayor Göksel Kavçan from ruling AKP party, threatened the citizens to vote ‘yes’ in the ongoing presidential referendum in Turkey.
A returning officer responsible at the school, where the presidential election has been held, told that the AKP Mayor threatened the citizens coming to the school to vote for the election by saying, ‘‘those who vote by secret ballot are the supporters and members of FETÖ. They are going to get in trouble. They’ll be arrested and lose their jobs.’’
Stating that the presiding officers at the polling stations are also the members or supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party, the returning officer said that people are clearly and collectively forced to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum through these kinds of threats and coercions, and he called the authorities for duty.
Turks began voting Sunday in Turkey's tightly-contested referendum on expanding the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, seen as a crossroads in the modern history of the country.
