United States of America President Donald Trump has received criticism following his call to congratiulate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump made the call despite protests from opposition parties and international monitoring groups, including Mr Trump’s own State Department, about voting irregularities during the referendum.
Critics argue the reforms in Turkey will hand extensive power to a man with an increasingly autocratic bent and leave few checks and balances in place.
Under the new system, the president will be able to appoint ministers and senior government officials, issue decrees and declare states of emergency.
Mr Erdogan has also said he would approve the death penalty if it was supported in a referendum or a bill submitted to him through parliament, which would end Turkey’s aspirations to join the EU.
Mr Trump has been criticised for congratulating Mr Erdogan, who is seen as taking Turkey in an increasingly authoritarian direction.
Evan McMullin, a former Republican who ran as an independent rival to Mr Trump in the 2016 election, wrote on Twitter: “An American president should never support a foreign dictator’s power grab. A simple gesture like this can weaken liberty here and abroad.”
This may be the most shocking thing Trump has done: congratulate a dictator on taking one step closer to total control https://t.co/wocvg8McJs
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) April 17, 2017
Opposition parties have complained of a series of irregularities, including an electoral board decision to accept ballots that did not bear official stamps, as required by Turkish law.
International monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the move undermined safeguards against fraud.