How Turkey’s Ruling AKP Regained its Parliamentary Majority

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has secured a parliamentary majority, according to general-election results announced on Sunday. The AKP is set to rule the country for another four years.

It got 49.4 percent of the vote, and 316 deputies in the 550-member legislature, by gaining votes in almost every city.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) achieved 25.4 percent (134 deputies).

The pro-Kurdish, left-wing People’s Democratic Party (HDP) came third with 10.7 percent (59 deputies), barely crossing the 10-percent threshold needed to enter parliament, and losing 1 million votes since the last election five months ago.

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Merve Tahiroglu, Turkey specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), said in the June elections the electorate sent a clear message to the AKP to distance itself from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and to compromise on some of its more controversial positions.

“The message is now directed to the opposition. The results suggest that voters who supported political change in June are now prioritizing the country’s need for political and economic stability,” Tahiroglu told Al Arabiya News.

“These voters would rather elect a party they only partially support in order to strengthen the government in the face of pressing challenges.

“There’s also clear disappointment with the HDP for its perceived failure to condemn” the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), whose ceasefire with the government has collapsed over the last few months.” Tahiroglu also noted.

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