Turkey’s Pro-Kurdish HDP Enters Parliament, Denies Ruling AKP Majority

Supporters of the HDP celebrate along a street after the parliamentary election in Diyarbak?r, Turkey, June 7, 2015, despite the party leadership's calls to avoid celebrations for passing the threshold on the election day. DHA Photo

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) party won the 25^th general elections, which were held in Turkey on Sunday, but lost its parliamentary majority.

The election results have dealt a serious blow to the party, which has been in power since 2002.

The party aspired of winning 330 seats in order to be able to make constitutional changes including turning Turkey into a presidential republic.

With 99.89 % of all votes counted, AKP won 40.80 % of the votes, which translates to 258 MPs, Anadolu Agency reports.

Thus the party is short of 18 MPs, which would have guaranteed it a simple majority in the 550-seat unicameral Grand National Assembly.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) finished second, garnering 25.05 % of the votes and 132 MPs.

The far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) remained third with 16.36 % of the votes and 81 MP.

The big winner in these elections is the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which entered the parliament for the first time as a single party.

HDP acquired 13 % of the votes and 79 MPs and thus denied the ruling AKP majority.

Both CHP and HDP have ruled out coalition with AKP, so the party will have to look to the only other remaining party – the far-right MHP as a possible coalition partner.

So far, MHP has said that it is too early to consider forming a coalition government and in case no cabinet is formed, early elections are expected.

Voter turnout stood at 86.53 % with AKP prevailing in the majority of the 85 voting districts, except in the westernmost, which were won by CHP and the easternmost, which were claimed by HDP.

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