Turkish AKP wins parliamentary election

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Source: CCTV.com | 07-23-2007 09:36

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan casts his vote during early parliamentary elections at a voting center in a primary school in Istanbul July 22, 2007. Millions of Turks flocked to vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election seen as crucial to the future direction of this large Muslim but secular democracy straddling Europe and the Middle East.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

In Turkey, Indications show that the country's ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party has won Sunday's parliamentary election. Nearly all the votes have been now counted.

According to current figures, the ruling Justice and Development party has received approximately 60 percent of the vote while the Republican People's Party has got over 20 percent. Running in third place is the National Movement Party.

These figures will lead to victory for the AK Party, with a percentage higher than opinion polls predicted.

Parties must win at least 10 percent of the votes in order to be represented in Parliament.

Voter surveys suggest the ruling party will retain a majority in the 550-member Parliament, although its winning margin is likely to be smaller than in 2002.

The Republican People's Party is expected to remain the main opposition group.

The new Parliament faces a host of challenges, including a presidential election, violence by Kurdish rebels and a growing divide over the role of Islam in its society.

Fourteen parties and 700 independent candidates are competing for support from a total of 42 and a half million eligible voters. Voting is compulsory in Turkey, though fines for failing to vote are rarely imposed. Turnout was 79 percent in elections in 2002.

Editor:Du Xiaodan