No sooner had Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in Sunday’s plebiscite than he aroused Turkish secularists’ worst fears by serving notice that the AK, which has roots in political Islam, would start work on a new constitution.

The referendum outcome fired up financial markets, sending shares to a record high, and the finance minister said it provided an opportunity to extend Turkey’s reform programme.

The “yes” vote was 58 percent to 42 percent for the “no” camp, according to unofficial results. The turnout, in an electorate of just under 50 million, was 77 percent.