The referendum is over; now what about the tension?

The April 16 referendum deciding on Turkey's future resulted in a victory for the "yes" front, with 51.4 percent of the electorate authorizing the government to implement a "Turkish-style" presidential system in the country versus 48.6 percent against it.

But, however much of the voting arithmetic came out in favor of the "yes" front, the narrow gap between "yes" and "no" clearly demonstrates that half the population does not consent to the new charter.

Equally important was the fact that 13 provinces that account for 62 percent of Turkey's GDP all said "no."

When one adds the fact that there was an inverse proportion between education and urbanization and the "yes" vote, it becomes clear that the system insistently championed by a party that climbed to power by trumpeting development and integration into capitalist markets failed to receive the assent of the segments that drive the economy.

In this respect, EU Turkey Rapporteur Kati Piri's post-referendum observation that "millions of Turkish citizens are protecting EU values" is right on the mark.

Despite this, there is no indication that the government has interpreted the results in such a fashion. Instead, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took the opportunity in his first "balcony speech" to muse about plans for a public vote on the death penalty. As everyone knows, reinstating capital punishment will automatically sever EU accession negotiations because it violates the Copenhagen criteria.

Still, with the referendum now done and dusted, why are they still ratcheting up the tension?

One reason might be the possibility that the transition to the presidential system could be implemented earlier. Normally, the new system is expected to go into effect in...