Ankara - MENA
Preliminary vote counting in Turkey’s parliamentary election has suggested voters have rejected the ruling party’s attempt to remake the constitution, The Guardian reported.
With about 97% of the vote counted, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development party, the AKP, was well ahead of other parties with just over 41%, according to state-run TRT television.
But the projections gave it about 260 seats — 10 below the minimum to keep its majority.
“We expect a minority government and early election,” a senior AKP official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
In a blow to the ruling party’s chances, the main Kurdish party – the People’s Democratic party (HDP) – was running at over 11%, above the 10% minimum threshold for representation.