2015 Turkish General Election Sunday November 01,2015

 

The 2015 Turkish General Election is scheduled to be held on Sunday November 01,2015 throughout the 85 Electoral Districts of Turkey to elect 550 Members to the Grand National Assembly

It is the 25th general election in the history of the Turkish Republic and will elect the country's 26th Parliament

Background to the election

The snap election was called by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 24,2015 after coalition negotiations between the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition broke down, amid claims that a vast number of AKP politicians favoured calling an early election rather than going into coalition.

The previous General Election held in June 2015 had resulted in a 'Hung Parliament',with the AKP falling 18 seats short of a majority.

The election, which was dubbed as a 're-run' of the inconclusive June 2015 election by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will be the 7th early election in the history of Turkish multi-party politics and the first to be overseen by an Interim Election Government

Serving Prime Minister Ahmet Devutoglu was tasked with forming the interim government on August 25,2015, a day after Erdoğan announced the snap poll.

The election will render the 25th Parliamentary Session, elected in June 2015, the shortest in the Grand National Assembly's history, lasting for just five months and being in session for a total of 33 hours


 Turkey is heading to polls for a second time in five months amid instability spilling over from neighbouring Syria and renewed tensions over the 30-year-old Kurdish conflict.

More than 54 million people are registered to vote at 175,000 stations on Sunday between 7am and 4pm in the eastern provinces of Turkey, and 8am and 5pm in the western ones

In the June 2015 polls, the AK party secured 258 seats in the 550-seat house, losing many to the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which achieved unprecedented success for a pro-Kurdish party by getting 80 seats
The main opposition centre-left Republican People's Party (CHP) and far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP), which respectively won 131 and 80 seats in the last elections, are the other main players in the polls - among the 16 political parties in the fray.
Parties need to secure 276 seats to govern the country alone.

Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu poses next to his wife Sare as he casts his ballot in today's elections, in which his party reclaimed its majority victory

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  (centre left) talks to his supporters outside a polling station, in Istanbul, in the lead up to today's divisive elections

 Turkey's AK Party Wins in Snap Election

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won back parliamentary majority in Sunday' s elections, paving way for it to form the next government on its own, according to the preliminary results based on 98 % of votes counted.

The AKP gained nearly 49% of the votes, and received 315 seats in the 550-member parliament, securing parliament majority as 98 percent of ballots are counted, according to semi-official Anadolu Agency.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu declared AKP victory in his initial statement after the polls.
"Today is a day of victory. This victory is not ours. It's the nation's victory," Davutoglu said addressing his supporters in Konya province of central Turkey.
"Hopefully we will serve you well for the next four years and stand in front of you once again in 2019," he said, adding that they would build a "new Turkey"

The win comes as a huge personal victory for 61-year-old President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who founded the ruling party, and who may now be able to secure enough support for his controversial ambitions to expand his role into a powerful U.S.-style executive presidency

Supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) took to the streets tonight, waving flags in rapturous celebration after the party’s overwhelming victory

 

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed his party's election victory as a vote for "unity and integrity" after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK party) took back a majority in parliament.
With almost all of the ballots counted early on Monday, Erdogan's party won 49.4 percent of the vote - enough for a majority of 316 seats.
The main opposition CHP won about 25 percent of the vote (134 seats), while the nationalist MHP party secured 11.9 percent (41 seats).
The pro-Kurdish HDP party has claimed a little over 10.5 percent to get 59 seats.
In a statement after his party's win, Erdogan said the result "delivered an important message" to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party that "oppression and bloodshed cannot coexist with democracy.
"Our people clearly showed in the November 1 elections that they prefer action and development to controversy," 61-year-old Erdogan said.
Voters "have given proof of their strong desire for the unity and integrity" of Turkey, he added.