Erdogan's party wins 268 seats in Turkish parliament

REGION  30 May 2023 - 19:42

In the May 14 Turkish general elections, the Justice and Development (AK) Party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerged the top party in parliament, securing a total of 268 seats, the state election authority said on May 30.

Ahmet Yener, chairman of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), shared the official results of the distribution of parliamentary seats with reporters in the capital Ankara, Anadolu reports.

In addition to the AK Party, its People’s Alliance partners the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) won 50 seats and the New Welfare Party (YRP) won five, securing a combined majority of 323 seats out of the total 600 in parliament.

With 169 deputies, the Republican People's Party (CHP), along with its coalition partner, the IYI Party, secured a total of 212 seats in parliament, representing the main opposition Nation's Alliance.

Parliament's remaining 65 seats were won by the Labor and Freedom Alliance, made up of the Green Left Party with 61 seats and the Türkiye Labor Party with four.

Yener also said voter turnout in the country was 88.92%, while abroad it stood at 53.80%, making for an overall participation rate of 87.05%.

The May 14 elections were definitive for parliament, but in the presidential polls the same day no candidate got the 50% needed for an outright victory, though President Erdogan had the lead.

But the subsequent May 28 runoff found a victor: Erdogan won the race with 52.14% of the vote, while opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu got 47.86%, according to the Supreme Election Council.

Caliber.Az