US State Department concerned about 'quality of Turkey’s democracy'

The US is concerned about the 'quality' of Turkey’s democracy, acting US Department of State Mark Toner said.

"These are discussions that we have on a somewhat regular basis with the Turkish Government. We’re looking at that and studying it very closely, and hope that the referendum is carried out in such a way that guarantees and strengthens democracy in Turkey," he said at a briefing on Thursday.

The April 16 vote will decide on the biggest change in Turkey's system of governance since the modern republic's foundation almost a century ago, potentially replacing its parliamentary system with an executive presidency, Reuters recalls.