Press TV - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has offered his congratulations over the Turkish people’s ‘Yes’ vote in a referendum on changes to the country’s constitution. 

Zarif extended his congratulations to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call on Monday.

The top Iranian diplomat expressed hope that the development would further reinforce stability and peace in Turkey.

Turkey held a referendum on Sunday on a package of constitutional changes. Later in the day, Erdogan, who had campaigned heavily for a “Yes” vote, declared victory.


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by his wife, Emine Erdogan, addresses his supporters in Istanbul, Turkey, April 16, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)[/caption]
The president said that 51.5 percent of the voters - 25 million people - had supported the reforms.

The reforms will change Turkey’s parliamentary system into a presidential one, the office of the prime minister will be abolished, the president will appoint the cabinet and an undefined number of vice presidents, and will be able to select and remove senior civil servants without parliamentary approval.

The changes would also potentially keep Erdogan in power until 2029. He has already been there since 2003.