ISTANBUL — A village leader shoves four voting slips into a ballot box. An unknown arm marks three slips with a “yes” vote. An unknown hand adds five more. An election official validates a pile of voting slips — hours after they were meant to be validated.
These are four of the scenes captured in unverified videos that have helped stoke accusations of voting fraud in polling stations across Turkey during Sunday’s referendum to expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr. Erdogan’s “yes” campaign has claimed victory by a small margin — 51.4 percent to 48.6 — in a vote that further insulates the president from scrutiny and tightens his grip on one of the most influential countries in the region.
But while Mr. Erdogan has turned his claimed victory into a political reality, the legitimacy of his win is still in question. Opposition parties say the vote was rigged. The main opposition party formally asked Turkey’s electoral commission Tuesday afternoon to reassess the contents of multiple ballot boxes and — in a separate appeal — to annul the entire poll result. And two major international observation missions have a list of concerns over irregularities during the campaign and on the day of the vote.
One observer group said that 2.5 million votes — roughly twice the margin of victory — are under question.
Deported veteran hopes to return home
SAN DIEGO — Since learning he had been pardoned by California Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday, Hector Barajas-Varela, a deported U.S. Army veteran, has more hope that one day he will be able to re-enter the country he considers home.
Mr. Brown’s pardon for Mr. Barajas-Varela and two others — the first time a governor has taken such action for deported veterans — does not guarantee they will be allowed to come back to the U.S. But the pardons may help them in their appeals to federal immigration authorities.
Mr. Barajas-Varela, 40, runs a shelter in Tijuana called the Deported Veterans Support House, better known as “the bunker.” He is well known in the worldwide community of deported veterans, which includes at least 239 people in 34 countries, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Australia scraps temporary visa
SYDNEY — Australia will scrap a temporary visa for skilled overseas workers, the prime minister said Tuesday, arguing that Australians must be given priority over foreigners for local jobs.
The popular 457 visa, which allows foreigners to live and work in Australia for up to four years, will be replaced with a stricter scheme that requires a criminal background check and includes tougher English language requirements, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said. The list of occupations that qualify for the new visa will be sharply reduced.
The prime minister said the changes would attract better-skilled workers and encourage the hiring of Australians instead of cheaper foreign labor.
Also in the world …
Passengers were screaming in horror as the bus driver repeatedly hit the brakes, shouting they weren't working, before the vehicle plunged into a ravine in the northern Philippines, killing at least 31 people. ... Former Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya, the self-proclaimed “King of Good Times,” was arrested Tuesday in London in what was seen as the start of a lengthy legal battle to return him to his home country to face fraud and money laundering charges. … The Pakistani military said on Monday that a high-profile militant leader had surrendered, calling it a significant victory in efforts against the remnants of the Pakistani Taliban. … A 17-year-old surfer was killed by a shark Monday off Australia’s south coast.
First Published: April 19, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
