Turkish President Erdogan's party loses majority in Parliament

ISTANBUL - In a severe blow to strongman Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey´s ruling party AKP lost its absolute parliamentary majority in legislative elections on Sunday. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the biggest share of the vote in the elections, but well down on the almost 50 percent it recorded in the previous 2011 polls. In a sensational result that shakes-up Turkey´s political landscape, the pro-Kurdish People´s Democratic Party (HDP) easily surpassed the 10 percent barrier needed to send MPs to parliament. Under Turkey´s proportional representation system, this means the AKP will need to form a coalition for the first time since it first came to power in 2002. The AKP secured 41 percent of the vote, followed by the Republican People´s Party (CHP) on 25 percent, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on 16.5 and the pro-Kurdish People´s Democratic Party (HDP) fourth on 12.5 percent, said official results based on a 98 percent vote count. Turnout was 86 percent. - (Web-desk)