WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Turkey is a NATO member and key ally of the United States in the volatile region.
After 13-years of ruling the AKP obtained 258 seats, short of the 276 needed to secure a majority in the 550 member parliament, according to preliminary results.
The outcome was widely interpreted in the Turkish press and opposition as a check on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambition to rewrite the constitution and form an American-style presidential system.
The secular Republican People's Party (CHP) gathered 25 percent, or 132 seats, while the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) increased its share of the vote to 16.4 percent, garnering 80 seats.
For the first time, the leftist, pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) will enter parliament as a party after overcoming a 10 percent electoral threshold. The HDP received 13.1 percent of the vote, securing 80 seats.
HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas on Sunday evening said the election results put an end to debates over Erdogan’s plans for an authoritarian presidential system.
Turn-out in the in the election was 86.5 percent, indicating the strength of Turkey’s democracy, Rathke said.
“Over 50 million Turkish citizens exercised their right to vote and this is an indication of the strength of Turkish democracy,” Rathke said.
The elections results mean the AKP will have to form a minority government or coalition within the next 45 days. The country could also head into early elections.
The political uncertainty roiled markets on Monday as the Turkish lira hit an all-time low against the dollar.
Officials from the AKP on Monday said it is ready to form a coalition government after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since 2002.
