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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Photos Full Coverage Sitemap Turks vote in divisive referendum AFP - Monday, September 13 Send IM Story Print ANKARA (AFP) - – Turks voted Sunday on whether to adopt highly divisive constitutional changes that would reshape the judiciary and curb army powers, in a major test of confidence in the Islamist-rooted government. Unrest marred voting in several cities where militant groups harassed and stoned fellow Kurds who rejected a boycott call from the main Kurdish opposition party and turned out to vote. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd in Mersin, southern Turkey, and detained 10 people, Anatolia news agency reported. "It is an important breaking point for Turkish democracy. We are passing through a very important test," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after casting his vote in Istanbul. His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) insists that the reforms contained in Sunday's referendum will bring EU-candidate Turkey closer to the democratic norms of the 27-state bloc. However, the opposition has withheld support, arguing that the amendments mask the AKP's quest for authoritarian power. The package's approval would be a major boost for the AKP ahead of general elections next year, in which it will seek a third straight term in power. The EU has welcomed the amendments as a "step in the right direction" but expressed reservations over increasing government influence in a key body dealing with judicial appointments. The result was expected several hours after polling stations closed at 1400 GMT in what opinion polls predicted will be a tight contest. Some 50 million people were eligible to vote in the referendum, which fell on the 30th anniversary of the 1980 coup, one of four military interventions that have unseated elected governments in Turkey since 1960. Voters were divided on the AKP agenda, reflecting the sharp polarisation that has plagued Turkey since 2002 when the AKP, the moderate offshoot of a banned Islamist party, came to power amid fears it would undermine the secular system. "We no longer want military coups in this country... We want a civilian and a more democratic constitution," said 32-year-old Serkan Misirlioglu, a travel agency employee, as he went to vote under pouring rain in Istanbul. But housewife Fatma Uretici, a "no" voter, had no trust in Erdogan. "He hopes that we, uneducated people, will say 'yes'... He is transforming the constitution as it suits him. He wants to install his men everywhere," she grumbled. The current constitution, a legacy of the 1980 coup, remains under universal criticism for its oppressive spirit despite previous amendments. But no major opposition party backs the reform package, and have called for a "no" vote, or, in the main Kurdish party's case, a boycott. The opposition argues the AKP -- its democratic credentials already under mounting criticism -- designed the amendments to propel cronies to senior judicial posts, control the courts and dilute Turkey's secular system. The bill, pushed through parliament in May by the AKP, aims to restructure the higher echelons of the judiciary, a secularist bastion at loggerheads with the government. The most controversial provisions modify the make-up of the Constitutional Court and the Higher Board of Judges and Prosecutors, and the way their members are elected. The package also curbs the powers of the once-untouchable military, already humbled amid sprawling probes into alleged plans to unseat the AKP that have landed dozens of soldiers in court. The AKP narrowly escaped being outlawed by the Constitutional Court for undermining Turkey's secular system in 2008. Top courts have also often blocked AKP-sponsored legislation, including a bill that would have abolished a ban on the Islamic headscarf in universities. Erdogan has slammed the senior judiciary as "shackles on our feet." His backers say the judicial elite has become a dogmatic caste enforcing authoritarian, hardline secularist and nationalist values and must be reformed. Other provisions limit the powers of military courts and abolish an article providing a judicial shield for the 1980 coup leaders. The package also gives civil servants the right to collective bargaining, but not the right to strike, and emphasises women's and children's rights. Voters are required to decide on all amendments with a single "yes" or "no". Recommend Send IM Story Print News Search Top Stories Iran to release US detainee on $500,000 bail French 'New Wave' film director Claude Chabrol dies Turks vote in divisive referendum Barclays chief hits back at 'casino banker' critics Doomsday warnings of US apocalypse gain ground More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Ceremonies in NY, Washington mark 9/11 anniversary US pastor puts Koran-burning on hold Doomsday warnings of US apocalypse gain ground Barclays chief hits back at 'casino banker' critics Barca humbled by Hercules, Mourinho gets first win More Most Viewed » Climate: New study slashes estimate of icecap loss Earth's upper atmosphere shrinking, scientists say Tiger's ex breaks her silence on sex scandal US pastor puts Koran-burning on hold Japanese rider Tomizawa dies in San Marino Moto2 GP More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! 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