Turkish Ruling Party to Lose Majority in Parliament - Preliminary Results

Preliminary results of the Central Election Committee show that Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party won Sunday's parliamentary election but lost its single-party majority.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won Sunday's parliamentary election but lost its single-party majority, according to preliminary results of the Central Election Committee.

With all of the votes counted, preliminary results showed AKP winning 40.8 percent, or 256 seats in parliament. Leftist Republican People's Party (CHP) gathered 25.2 percent, or 133 seats, according to the committee.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) also passed the 10-percent threshold with 16.5 and 12.9 percent, or 83 and 78 seats respectively.

Eighty-four percent of the voters turned out to select the Grand National Assembly's 550 lawmakers.

Final results will be published by the electoral commission after reviewing any possible appeals.

The AKP party was formed by Prime Minister Rece Tayyip Erdogan in 2001 and has secured a majority in every parliamentary election held since 2002.

Final results of Sunday's parliamentary results will be announced in less than two weeks, Chairman of Turkey's Supreme Election Committee Sadi Guven said.

"According to unofficial results, AK Party, CHP, MHP and HDP have surpassed the 10 percent election threshold. The official results will be announced in 11 or 12 days," Guven told reporters.

Voter turnout was 84 percent to select the Grand National Assembly's 550 lawmakers.