Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a victory over the opposition and won the constitutional referendum in Turkey, even though the margin was just 1,5% of all votes. For the next 2 years, the President receives universal power, becomes head of the government, can solely appoint Ministers and Judges and pass laws without prior consent from the Parliament. But the Turkish community is split up and the authorities are extending the state of emergency. Maksim Kiselyov is reporting from Istanbul.

The winner went to the people at sunrise. He prayed in the mosque by the Turgut Özal Mausoleum, the author of the Turkish Economic Miracle. He then left the unwelcoming Istanbul. He was probably thinking what to do with his hometown that said "no". Erdoğan also lost in Ankara, in the seaport Izmir, and in Antalya. He suffered a devastating defeat in Kurdistan, but he won the entire country as a jackpot. But first he threw its people on different sides of the barricades.

Two words, "yes" and "no" didn't just split the country into cities and regions, but cities into blocks. Right there, on the left is the historic Kasımpaşa district, where Erdoğan won unanimously. And to the right, over the Taksim Square is Şişli, where he failed miserably. But the referendum didn't shake up a single street anywhere. There is no expected bashing, no collisions.

In Kasımpaşa, Erdoğan's home region, there aren't even any new smiles. Those who are against him, let them be. The people had their say, they voted for a decent man. Half a kilometer away, in a neighborhood where 70% voted "no", the mood is just like their neighbors' — not happy, not sad, just doomed. It's true, today we woke up in a different Turkey. And unfortunately, it's an Ottoman Turkey.

Actually, Istanbul didn't wake up different, it went to sleep different. It finally told him "evet", or "yes". The country that is completely his now. He doesn't have to share his power with the Parliament — it belongs to him, too. He doesn't have to share with the PM — this position is in the past. 1,5% determined the fate of a huge, 80-million-person state. Happiness is local. Usually on the Taksim Square people won't let anyone pass. Right now the small area is taken over by those celebrating Erdoğan's victory. There are many reasons, but the main is fear.





Right now Turkey is in the state of emergency. It's plain dangerous to gather on the squares. Terrorist attacks keep occurring in Turkish cities. They didn't vote for the reforms, not for Turkey's future, one way or another, they voted for or against Erdoğan. A man, who, as a joke, has been given the name "sultan". But the time for jokes is over. We're happy, we're going back to the Ottoman Empire. Secular republic isn't for us. He can become the Head of the party again, It won't get in his way of being the President and stay for 2 consecutive 5-year terms. But this isn't enough for Erdoğan. I intend to immediately reconsider the death sentence.

People demanded it on their protests, and it's been supported by the opposition. He knows that Europe will only grunt for awhile, just like they did about the cleanup after the July overthrow. That's when he fired 100,000 people, suspected of disloyalty. With that, he cut off even the slightest attempts at protests. This past night Istanbul only had enough strength to admit they're doomed. It's an interesting result. So we are stupid as people and don't see our future. It really is hard to see the future — 2029 is too far away.