EDIRNE – Voting for the September 12 referendum began at border gates on Tuesday.

Video Turkey September 12 Referendum votes starts in borders.

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Voting started at 8:00 in the morning at Turkey’s border gate of Kapikule, Ipsala and Hamzabeyli in the northwestern province of Edirne.

Turkish citizens are also able to cast their votes at 25 border gates during their border crossing until 5:00 p.m. on September 12.

Turkey will vote for the referendum on a government-backed constitutional amendment package scheduled for September 12, the 30th anniversary of a military coup in Turkey which eventually led the way for the current constitution of the country.

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has annulled parts of the package in July, rejecting to overturn the entire package in a move to upset the country’s main opposition party, Republican People’s Party (CHP), which had appealed to the top court to scrap the package as a whole.

The CHP had been against the referendum as they argued that the proposed constitutional reform was in favor of the current government and not the good of the people.

The second main opposition of the government, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who have had a stern stance against the proposed referendum have also started a so called “NO” campaign for the September 12 vote.

The current government, Justice and Development Party (AKP), have been criticized by secularist’s accusing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of trying to turn Turkey into an Islamic state.

However Erdoğan has repeatedly turned down such allegations and has argued that his and his Party’s views are for greater democracy.

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