Turkey Ruling AKP Wins Election with Reduced Majority

Turkey's ruling party clinched a record landslide in Sunday's parliamentary polls but appeared short of the two-thirds majority it needs to rewrite the constitution.
Complete results from Turkey's election show the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of PM Recep Teyyip Erdogan have won a third term.

AKP led with 50.3% of the vote for a third straight win, according to final results. It was the party's highest electoral score since it came to power in 2002.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was second with 25.9%, followed by the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) with 13.1%. The AKP got enough parliamentary seats to once again form the government on its own, but appeared to fall just short of the 330-seat majority in the 550-member parliament it was seeking to unilaterally amend the constitution. It was set to win 325 seats.

Thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered outside AKP offices in Ankara, dancing and singing, as the refrain of the party's election song "Come on, once more!" blared from loudspeakers.

Mean while, following the results of parliamentary elections, which his party has won, Erdogan peered from the balcony of the headquarters of "Justice and Development" in Ankara, to declare in front of his supporters that "one out of every two citizens of Turkey said yes to the ruling Justice and Development Party" Erdogan said vowing to work with competitors to achieve consensus on a new constitution for Turkey.
"People told us to build a new constitution through consensus and negotiation ... We will discuss the new constitution with the opposition parties." Erdogan added.

As Erdogan greeted all citizens of Turkey who are in Melbourne, Berlin, Tokyo, Vienna, Paris and Toronto; he said: "With all love, I salute from here Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, Amman, Cairo, Tunis, Sarajevo and Escobia, Baku, Nicosia and all the cities and capitals of other friendly and brotherly nations and friendly peoples who turned their eyes towards Turkey and enthusiastically received the news."

He added, "Let the results of June 12 elections carry good for our country and our nation and all the geography and the entire world, and let it be a contributing factor in the stability, well-being, and justice in our region and all over the world."

Erdogan stressed that "as far as Istanbul won Sarajevo lived the triumph, and as far as Izmir won Beirut won, as far as Ankara won Damascus won, as far as Diyarbakir won Ramallah , Nablus, Jenin , the West Bank, al- Quds and Gaza won, and as Turkey won, the Middle East the Caucasus, the Balkans and Europe won."