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Erdogan's AKP wins majority government in Turkish elections

Preliminary results in Turkey's election show a victory for the AKP, which has won just over 49% ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

08.40 1 Nov 2015


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Erdogan's AKP wins maj...

Erdogan's AKP wins majority government in Turkish elections

Newstalk
Newstalk

08.40 1 Nov 2015


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Preliminary results in Turkey's election show a victory for the AKP, which has won just over 49% of the votes in a major turnaround for embattled President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu declared victory, saying: "Today is the day of victory of democracy and the people."

According to state-run broadcaster TRT, nearly 99% of the votes have been counted, showing the AKP (Justice and Development Party) with enough votes to win them 316 seats - a comfortable majority in the 550-seat parliament.

The main opposition CHP at 25.2% and the nationalist MHP opposition on 12%.

Support for the pro-Kurdish HDP hovered just over the 10% threshold needed to enter parliament - a threshold it cleared in June's election - but HDP leaders claimed the election conditions this time were unfair.

They said they had to cancel election rallies for public safety after two deadly attacks on pro-Kurdish gatherings, that they were not given a fair amount of television airtime and that the Turkish government dubbed them the political wing of the PKK, which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey.

Clashes broke out in Diyarbakir, a mainly Kurdish city in Turkey's southeast, with people setting fire to rubbish bins and throwing stones at police, following news of the partial results. Police used water cannon and there were media reports that one person had been injured by gunfire.

Election turnout was around 87% among the 54m voters eligible to vote at more than 175,000 polling stations and results could still change significantly as voting papers arrive from more rural parts of the country.

The AKP lost its majority in a June election after 13 years and Mr Erdogan called a second vote after Mr Davutoglu failed to form a coalition with any of the three opposition parties.

Mr Erdogan presented this month's election as a chance to restore stability amid growing tensions with Kurdish fighters and the worsening war in neighbouring Syria leaving Turkey with more refugees from there than anywhere else in the world.

Turkey has also been the target of two Islamic State-linked suicide bomb attacks that killed more than 130 people.

"It is obvious in today's election how beneficial stability is for our nation and today our citizens will make their choice based on this," Mr Erdogan said after voting in his home district of Camlica, which is on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Critics say the election was called in a bid by Mr Erdogan to win back enough support so his party can change the constitution and he can have more power. Some western allies hoped a coalition may have kept these instincts in check.

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