For the first time in a decade, the AKP did not win a clear majority in parliamentary elections. The results were a setback for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had hoped to win enough seats to rewrite the constitution and increase his own powers.
A Turkish woman casts her ballot as she votes in Turkey's general election at a polling station in a primary school in Ankara on Sunday.
ADEM ALTAN / Getty Images
For the first time in a decade, the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to win a majority of parliamentary seats in a hotly contested election that served as a de facto referendum on Erdogan's political power.
The Islamist, conservative AKP had hoped for a supermajority that would allow Erdogan to push through changes to the Turkish constitution and increase his power, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Instead, the longtime ruling party earned 41% of the vote and lost seats in the parliament, according to the New York Times.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds his vote for Turkey's general election at a polling station in Istanbul on Sunday.
OZAN KOSE / Getty Images
Erdogan served as prime minister for 10 years before becoming president, a largely ceremonial role in Turkey's current government structure.
He had hoped to add power over the budget and infrastructure, according to the Wall Street Journal, to "streamline" the government process.
Critics have said such changes would Turkey into an autocracy.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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