Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 13-year-long honeymoon with the Turkish electorate is over as his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) loses majority in a surprise poll verdict….reports Asians Lite News
Turkey’s governing AK party is on course to lose its parliamentary majority, early projections suggest They also suggest the pro-Kurdish HDP is set to cross the 10% threshold, securing seats for the first time, BBC reported.
With 90% of the vote counted, the AKP had 42% of the vote, according to Turkish TV stations.
According to the TV projections, the AKP’s share of the vote would translate into 263 seats in the 550-seat parliament, followed by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The HDP is projected to get between 75 to 80 seats after successfully attracting votes beyond its Kurdish support base.
The AKP governs with 312 MPs at present; to secure a referendum on constitutional reform the President needs at least 330. To transform the system without a popular vote the party would have to win 367 seats.
If confirmed, the result would end the AKP’s 13-year single-party rule, and upset President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plans to boost his office’s powers.
President Erdogan, who first came to power as prime minister in 2003, has been seeking a two-thirds majority to turn Turkey into a presidential republic.
Sunday’s election has produced an extraordinary result and represents a major change in Turkish politics, the BBC’s Mark Lowen says. The party that once seemed unstoppable for 13 years under Mr Erdogan may now struggle to form a government.
The HDP’s leader ruled out a coalition with the AKP on Sunday, pointing out that the election results had put an end to discussions about a presidential system.
The AKP – 17 seats short of forming a government – must now contemplate either forming a minority government or entering into a coalition.