A supporter of Turkey’s opposition Nationalist Action Party, (MHP), waves his party and nation’s flags, in Istanbul
Turks headed to the polls yesterday for the second time in five months in a crucial election that will determine whether the ruling party can restore the parliamentary majority it enjoyed for 13 years.
The contest is a rerun of a June election in which the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, surprisingly lost its one-party rule due to a strong showing by a Kurdish party. The key question yesterday was whether the ruling party will get enough seats for an outright majority in parliament or whether it will have to form a coalition in order to govern.
The election comes as Turkey is facing its worst violence in years. Renewed fighting between Turkey’s security forces and Kurdish rebels has killed hundreds of people and shattered an already-fragile peace process. Two recent massive suicide bombings at pro-Kurdish gatherings that killed some 130 people, apparently carried out by an Islamic State group cell, have also increased tensions.
Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State and, since it hosts more Syrian refugees than any other nation in the world, a crucial player in efforts to end the war in Syria and resolve Europe’s massive immigration crisis.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is calling on voters to choose stability and give AKP a new majority. Opposition parties hope to force Davutoglu into forming a coalition.
More than 54 million people were eligible to vote at more than 175,000 polling stations and turnout was expected to be high.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not on the ballot, but voters will determine whether he can continue to be Turkey’s primary political power by guiding the ruling party in parliament.
Erdogan has been warning of instability if a coalition government is formed but also says he will adhere to voters’ wishes.
“We will all have to show respect to the national will,” he said after voting in Istanbul. “Turkey has made great strides in democracy and this stride will be strengthened with today’s election.” Suzan Fraser and Desmond Butler, Ankara, AP
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