page_title: 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum
section_title: Diplomatic crisis with the Netherlands
hierarchical_section_title: 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum / Controversies and electoral misconduct / Overseas 'Yes' campaign bans / Diplomatic crisis with the Netherlands
caption_attribution_description: English: Pro-'yes' protests after diplomatic escalation between Turkey and Holland, 11-12 March 2017
context_page_description: A constitutional referendum was held throughout Turkey on 16 April 2017 on whether to approve 18 proposed amendments to the Turkish constitution that were brought forward by the governing Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party. If approved, the office of the Prime Minister would be abolished and the existing parliamentary system of government would be replaced with an executive presidency and a presidential system. The number of seats in Parliament was proposed to be raised from 550 to 600 while the president was proposed to be given more control over appointments to the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors. The referendum was held under a state of emergency that was declared following a failed military coup attempt in July 2016.
  Early results indicated a 51–49% lead for the "Yes" vote. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Electoral Council allowed non-stamped ballots to be accepted as valid. Some opposers to the reform decried this move to be illegal, claiming that as many as 1.5 million ballots were unstamped, and refused to recognize the results. Large-scale protests erupted following the results in order to protest the YSK's decision.
context_section_description: A diplomatic crisis occurred between Turkey and the Netherlands on 11 March, after Çavuşoğlu's official plane had its permission to land revoked mid-air ahead of a scheduled campaign speech. Later that day, Families and Social Policy Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya's convoy was stopped by Dutch police, which blocked her access to the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. Kaya was later declared persona non grata, with a regional state of emergency being declared and her convoy being asked to leave the country. Kaya was therefore forced to return to Germany, while Çavuşoğlu left for France to attend another campaign event. Violent protests by Turkish expats broke out in Rotterdam following the expulsion of both ministers, with the police making 12 arrests.
  The Dutch government had previously asked Turkish ministers to refrain from campaigning in the country, fearing that divisive campaign rhetoric would sow divisions within the Turkish community. Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed that negotiations with the Turkish government to allow a small scale speech by the minister were still ongoing, when Çavuşoğlu publicly threatened with sanctions should ministers be prevented from campaigning. It was these threats that made the situation unsolvable to the Dutch government.
  Many people in Turkey took the side of the Turkish government in the matter, with the pro-'No' main opposition announcing their support for the government and calling on the AKP to freeze diplomatic relations with the Netherlands. All CHP overseas campaign events were later suspended in solidarity, while the pro-'No' MHP dissident camp also expressed their condemnation against the Dutch government for their actions. 
  In the Dutch parliament all parties, except for the two-seat Denk party, supported the decisions of the Dutch Government. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his claim that European governments that suspended campaigning were 'Nazi remnants', which the Dutch government denounced as "unacceptable".
caption: Pro-'Yes' protests outside the Dutch embassy in Turkey following the Dutch–Turkish diplomatic crisis
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