Election results

  • Published
  • By Mehmet Birbiri
  • 39th Air Base Wing Host Nation Adviser
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Question: Mehmet, we know that elections were held last Sunday in Turkey. We've heard bits and pieces about the results. Can you tell us about the results? Is Turkey going to have a new president? Do the elections mean anything to the Americans here?

Answer: As you said, general elections were held in Turkey last Sunday. It was the election to renew the 550 seats at the Grand National Assembly (Parliament).

Fourteen political parties and hundreds of independent candidates ran in the elections. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) received 47 percent of the votes and gained 341 seats in the parliament, the Republican People's Party (CHP) received 21 percent of the votes and gained 112 seats and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) received 14 percent of the votes and gained 71 seats. A total of 26 independent candidates were also elected for the new term of the parliament.

Turkey has a parliamentary system, just like in Italy and Germany. The President will task the leader of the majority party to form the government. Since the current Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has the majority party again, AKP, the president will task him to form the new government.

The new parliament members will elect the new president of Turkey. We don't get a new president after every general election. But, the seven year term of the current president ended in May and the former parliament couldn't elect a new president. According to the Constitution of Turkey, if the parliament cannot elect a president, its term will be over and a general election will be immediately held. For that reason, a new president will be elected soon by the new parliament.

The results of the elections will not change the status of the average American here. Because, the same party will be in power and the same principles will be carried on.