Foreign Correspondence

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Turkey's Islamist-based AKP keeps majority in parliamentary election

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, riding a wave of support from the
pious poor and Muslim middle class, garners a majority of parliamentary seats, setting up a third term for Erdogan.


Supporters of Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party celebrate results
that show it holding a majority of parliamentary seats. It appeared to fall short,
however, of the number needed to push through proposed constitutional changes.
(Adem Altan, Getty Images / June 13, 2011)

By Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times .. June 13, 2011 .. bit ..

Many voters said they were troubled by the rising income disparity of the last few years. Though Turkey's economy has grown dramatically over the last decade, affluence has been uneven, many complain. "I'm a military officer and I'm driving this taxi on weekends," said Ahmet Zorlu, when asked about his voting priorities. "That's enough of an answer."

But though the AKP espouses economic policies that favor big business and investors, its government has managed to cultivate an image of being close to the working classes. It is close to Islamic charities that help the poor, has improved health services and has launched showy public works projects. Despite the AKP's pro-business slant, voters said they doubted that any other party would pursue different economic policies. .. MORE ..
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-turkey-election-20110613,0,3651773.story

Turkey's ruling AKP wins third term

Prime Minister Erdogan's party however fails to get enough seats to unilaterally rewrite country's constitution.
Last Modified: 13 Jun 2011 00:35

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXPrMw9m0qo

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has won a third term in parliament, winning nearly 50 per cent of the vote in Sunday's election.

But the AKP, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's prime minister, fell short of its target of 330 seats which would have allowed it to press ahead with its plans to rewrite the country's constitution.

In a victory speech before thousands of flag-waving supporters in the capital Ankara, Erdogan pledged "humility" and said he would work with rivals.

.. http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/turkeyelection/

"People gave us a message to build the new constitution through consensus and negotiation. We will discuss the new constitution with opposition parties. This new constitution will meet peace and justice demands."

Erdogan says a new constitution, replacing one introduced under martial law in 1982, is needed to make Turkey more democratic and to enhance individual freedoms.

But opponents said the AKP would write the constitution to consolidate its grip on power, and said Erdogan wanted to introduce a system with more executive powers for the president - a role they accused him of coveting.

Erdogan's socially conservative party won 49.9 per cent of the vote, with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) getting 25.9 per cent, and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) 13 per cent.

Independent candidates, representing the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the Kurdish-majority southeast, polled 5.9 per cent of votes.

Under Turkey's electoral system, a party must gain at least 10 per cent of the national vote to win seats in the National Assembly.

Final results indicate that the AKP will have 326 seats in the new parliament, the CHP 135, the MHP 53, and independents 36.

Main strengths

Turkey's booming economy during the AKP's decade-long stewardship, as well as Turkey's heightened international profile, were seen as Erdogan's main strengths going into Sunday's vote.

Celebrating crowds waving Turkish and AKP flags gathered outside the party's headquarters in Ankara, where Erdogan addressed supporters.

Crowds also gathered in Istanbul's main Taksim Square to watch the speech on big screens, Al Jazeera's Ayse Alibeyoglu reported.

Earlier in the day, crowds burst into cheers and applause as Erdogan arrived to vote in a school in Uskudar, an AKP stronghold in the Asian part of Istanbul.

"Turkey is proud of you," the crowd chanted as Erdogan shook hands with supporters.

"I've been informed that voting is taking place in a quiet atmosphere across the country ... with a very high turnout," he said.

"Everybody should respect the outcome."

'End of long marathon'

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the CHP, voted in Ankara.

"We have come to the end of a long marathon," he said. "Today is the time for a decision by the people. We will respect their decision. There is a good mood. There is a democracy feast."

The CHP, a secularist centre-left party, had built its election campaign on pledges of democratic reform, arguing that the AKP was turning Turkey into a "police state."

Sex tapes forced 10 leading members of the MHP to quit the election race, prompting speculation over whether the party could slip under the 10 per cent threshold.

Voters cast their ballots in transparent plastic boxes, rather than traditional wooden boxes, for the first time - a measure introduced to prevent allegations of fraud.

Istanbul will be represented by 85 deputies in the new parliament, while Ankara gets 31 seats. Many of Turkey's less populated provinces will be represented by a single deputy.

Seats are awarded on the basis of proportional representation, with each party gaining a number of seats in each district based on its share of the local vote. .. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/06/2011612234318956351.html