Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here on Sunday that the approval of a package of constitutional reforms in referendum was a reflection of people’s aspiration for democracy.

Erdogan said at a press meeting in Istanbul: “The approval in the voting is the result of the nation’s longing for democracy. This is the support of our nation for change and democratization.”

Unofficial results from today’s voting on the government-backed constitutional reform package showed that the reforms were approved by more than 58 percent of the voters while 41 percent voted against them.

He said the referendum was not a vote of confidence for the government, adding that he thanked all voters who supported the constitutional reforms.

Erdogan said his country’s democracy was strengthened by voting in favor of a referendum on Sunday over a package of constitutional reforms.

“Our citizens have shown their confidence in our democracy and bolstered it by voting in favor of reforms. Our democracy is now much more powerful. Today, the winner is democracy.”

“Today’s referendum is a turning point for democracy and it opened a new and a bright future. The regime of guardianship will be buried in the past. Those who long for military coups will be doomed to lose,” Erdogan said.

“The referendum had raised the bar of our democracy, the rule of law and justice. The referendum has given the message that our people wanted an advanced democracy where the rule of law prevails, national will rules, and the regime of guardianship ends,” he said.

Turks voted for or against a package of government-sponsored constitutional amendments on Sept. 12, the 30th anniversary of a military coup in Turkey.

The debate on the 1982 constitution written under military rule is seen by many as a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party. He claimed that constitutional amendments will strengthen democracy in Turkey and help the bid for EU membership.

But Erdogan’s critics argued that the move will simply give the AK political control over the judiciary.

Constitutional amendments include changes in structure of Supreme Board of Judges