Turkey confirms April 16 as referendum date

ANKARA

The chairman of Turkey’s Supreme Board of Elections officially announced on Saturday that the upcoming referendum on major constitutional changes will be held on April 16.

Sadi Guven's press conference came one day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved the constitutional amendment package to shift Turkey’s existing parliamentary system to a presidential one.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had announced the date Friday shortly after Erdogan's approval.

“Our president has approved the bill. So the date for a public vote is fixed. The referendum will be held on April 16,” Yildirim told reports following his Friday prayers in the central Anatolian province of Nevsehir.

The constitutional changes have been discussed since Erdogan was elected president in August 2014. The 18-article bill was passed by parliament in January, with 339 votes in favor -- nine more than needed to put the proposal to a referendum.

Reporting by Orhan Onur Gemici: Writing by Hatice Kesgin