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The legislative elections on 7 June saw the AKP, the conservative Islamic party in power since 2002 under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, lose the absolute majority in parliament, winning 257 seats out of 550. The AKP previously had 312. The vote was also significant because of the parliamentary breakthrough of the HDP, a mainly Kurdish secular and left-wing party, which won 79 seats.
Kurdish parliamentarians standing as independents numbered 29 in the last parliamentary session. The CGO (social-democrats) won 132 (against 125 in the last session) and the MHP (nationalists), 82 (against 52 previously). The turn-out was 86%.
According to Cumhuriyet,
For the first time since 2002, since the AKP began ruling alone, the concept of “electoral defeat” has been introduced. The AKP has lost absolute power for the first time, despite winning 40% of the vote. Erdoğan's “presidential dream” is coming to an end. For the first time since 2002, parliament has four political parties. For the first time, a Kurdish political movement has entered parliament undisguised. Because the AKP has lost the absolute majority, this 8 June Turkey has two possible options: a minority government or a coalition.
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