Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters Dissatisfied with Election Results

Scores of people rallied in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, in Turkey’s southeast, to protest the results of Sunday’s parliamentary snap poll. Clashes broke out after it was announced that President Erdogan's ruling party is set for victory in the parliamentary election.

Turkish Election: AKP Returns to Power with Outright Majority

THE GUARDIAN: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tightens grip on power as party nears large enough majority to make constitutional changes


Turkey’s strongman president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, tightened his grip on power decisively on Sunday as his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) swept back to single-party government with a convincing win in national elections.

The high-stakes vote, Turkey’s second in five months, took place in a climate of mounting tension and violence following an inconclusive June poll in which the conservative, Islamic-leaning AKP failed to secure an outright majority for the first time since coming to power in 2002.

With almost 90% of the votes counted, the party was on 50.3%, according to state broadcaster TRT. That would give it about 325 seats in the 550-seat parliament, comfortably ahead of its three main rival parties and easily enough to form a government on its own.

The prime minister and AKP leader, Ahmet Davutoğlu tweeted simply: “Elhamdulillah”, or “Thanks be to God”. » | Jon Henley, Kareem Shaheen in Ankara and Constanze Letsch in Diyarbakir | Sunday, November 1, 2015

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Türkei: Absolute für "Sultan" Erdogan: Recep Tayyip Erdogan hat bei den Parlamentswahlen in der Türkei mit seiner islamisch-konservativen Regierungspartei AKP die absolute Mandatsmehrheit erreicht. Die Konfliktstrategie des "Sultans" ist damit voll aufgegangen - er hatte sich als einziger Garant von Stabilität dargestellt. Nun will Erdogan eine Verfassungsänderung für ein Präsidialsystem, in der alle Macht in seiner Hand gebündelt ist. Oppositionskreise sprechen von Wahlschwindel. » | Kronen Zeitung/AG/kal | Sonntag, 1. November 2015

Inside Story: Turkey Elections: Test of Erdogan’s Rule?

Ruling AK Party sweeps to success in local elections seen as a barometer of public opinion.

Tuncay Seyranlioglu, an Independent Candidate in the Upcoming General Election in Turkey, is Shot Dead
BBC: An independent candidate has been shot dead in Istanbul ahead of Turkey's general election on 22 July.

Tuncay Seyranlioglu's car was hit by gunfire on a highway as it was taking him away from a TV studio.

The businessman, who had assets in media and property, was standing to be an MP in Istanbul. Several suspects are said to have been held over the attack.

Meanwhile, Turkey's prime minister has said he will quit politics if his party fails to win a decisive majority.

"If we can't come to power alone, I'll leave politics," local television quoted Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying.

The prime minister's AK Party wants to win a majority large enough to enable it to form a strong government without relying on coalition partners. Turkish poll candidate shot dead (more)

Mark Alexander