As Turkey reached the final stages of counting the results of its referendum on Sunday, Kurds living in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir said they were looking forward to peace in the country. As they watched the results on television inside a traditional tea house, many said they were accepting of a move from Turkey’s parliamentary democracy to an all-powerful presidency that may see Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in power until at least 2029, in the most radical change to the country’s political system in its modern history. Diyarbakir is dominated by Kurds, many of whom support the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP). The referendum vote was strongly in favor of “No” at 67.58 percent against 32.42 percent in favor of “Yes”.
