A contsitutional referendum in Turkey on Sunday may signal the end to the controversial ban on women wearing Islamic-style head scarves at universities, reports Agence France-Presse. The vote, which was viewed as a victory for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and his Justice and Development Party, will allow modifications in the country’s constitutional court and in how judicial appointments are made. The changes are likely to smooth the way for some of the prime minister’s proposals that have stalled in the courts, including an effort to lift the head-scarf ban. The ban, which has been strictly enforced since 1997, has triggered student protests. Although Turkey’s population is predominantly Muslim, the country has an ardently secular constitution, and many view the wearing of the head scarf at universities as an infringement on the separation of state and religion.